Tears into Wine
by M3535
Summary: Johnny/Soda slash. Johnny and Pony gets into serious trouble with a Soc at school. As their lives are threatened, the rest of the gang does everything they can to keep them safe. Drama is ensured when the Soc situation gets out of hand, and other events create rifts within the group. Lots of Johnny/Soda. Cooperation between Zayhad and M3535.
1. The Couch is Johnny's Tonight

This fic is a close cooperation between **Zayhad** & **M3535**. It started out as an RP, but we were so pleased with how the plot developed that we quickly decided to turn it into a fic instead. Of course major rewriting has been done to adapt the style.

Also, we thought there is a major lack of Johnny/Soda slash out there, and we wanted to do something about it. We hope to create lots of new fans of this awesomely cute pairing :)

**Zayhad** has made at least one illustration for each chapter (will be published on Deviantart – check my profile for links).

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**Chapter 1 – "The Couch is Johnny's Tonight."**

It was a cold night - really much colder than it had been for weeks. Johnny sat at the lot, trying to get a fire going, but for some reason the damn wood just wouldn't catch fire. _Maybe it's still too wet, _he thought to himself and gazed at the sky. A few stars were out by now and the clouds were drifting away.

"It's gonna get even colder... that's for sure," he said to himself. Pony always said that when the stars were visible, the air would get colder. At least at this time of year. Something about the clouds keeping in the warm air, kind of like a blanket. And when they went away, the air would drift off.

Johnny got up. He wasn't going to sit here and freeze to death. Dally would slap him silly if he did. He laughed. Slap him – yeah – as if. But going home was not an option. He had already been there today and had a bruised forehead and busted lip to prove it. So he decided that maybe the Curtis house was just the better option.

He had almost reached the house when he heard Darry yelling. _Oh boy..._ Johnny thought. _Now Pony is in for it again..._

Johnny sat down on the porch. He didn't really feel like going in right now.

**o0o0o**

"There was extra track training after school! I toldyou that yesterday!" said Pony.

Actually, he _had_ forgotten to tell Darry, but he wasn't about to admit that. It wasn't fair that Darry was all over him anyway - just because he was home late from school.

"No you didn't, kiddo!" Darry yelled, shaking his finger at Ponyboy. "You _didn't_! Did he, Soda?" Darry set his eyes on his other brother.

Soda glanced from Darry to Ponyboy. He hadn't heard anything. That, of course, didn't mean that Pony _hadn't_ said it. But knowing him, it was likely that he hadn't. Either way, Soda hated it when Darry yelled at Pony, so he finally decided to lie for him: "Yeah, I think he did, last night..."

A smug grin appeared on Pony's face. "See what I said?" He did, however, feel a little bad for having Soda lie for him.

Darry kept his eyes on Soda for a few seconds and then Pony. He still looked angry but seemed to decide to leave it at that. He went into the kitchen and sat down with the newspaper.

Pony walked to the couch and dropped down next to Soda.

"Thanks..."

"You forgot to tell him, didn't ya?"

"Yeah..." Pony said, looking at his hands in his lap.

"Try to remember next time, okay? Don't give him so many reasons to get mad at ya."

Pony nodded. "I'll do the dishes for you tonight."

"Sounds great."

"Is any of the gang coming for dinner?"

"Dunno."

**o0o0o**

Johnny sat on the porch and couldn't decide if he should go in or not. Darry seemed in a bad mood...

He slowly got up, walked down the steps and left the house.

**o0o0o**

Two-Bit, who just turned the corner, spotted Johnny in the distance. He waved and yelled but Johnny didn't turn around, so Two-Bit figured maybe he didn't wanna talk.

"Heeeeeeeyyyy greasers!" he said as he stumbled in through the door.

"Hey, Two-Bit!" Pony grinned, glad to get have someone come by and distract them. And if anyone could get Darry in a better mood it was Two-Bit.

"You eatin' here?" asked Soda.

Two-Bit dropped down on the couch. "Yeah, man, if ya don't mind." He paused. "Say, did Johnny come by here? I saw him leaving the house."

"No," said Pony, furrowing his brows.

He must have heard the argument and left, Soda realized. "I'll go find him," he said and got up.

"Okay," Two-Bit said and leaned back. "Hey, Pony. Go grab me a beer will ya?"

**o0o0o**

Johnny walked down the street. Where was he to go now? Dally was probably at Buck's - either with a girl or just by himself. Johnny didn't want to go to Buck's anyway. The guy was bad news.

**o0o0o**

Coming out into the street, Soda looked in all directions. There was no sign of the little guy, but he couldn't have gotten far. The question was, where. Home or the lot? Soda decided to try the lot first. If Johnny had come to their house at this time of the day it was probably to sleep there, and that, in turn, probably meant that there had been trouble at home.

And he was right. Johnny was sitting on the old car seat, feet drawn up and hugging his knees. Soda thought he looked so small and vulnerable - more than usually. He made sure to make a sound before he got too close - so as not to startle the jumpy teen - and sat down on the seat next to him.

"Hey, kid. What's up? Two-Bit said he saw you leaving the house just now. Why didn't ya come in?"

Johnny had only looked up for a second when Soda came up to him but dropped his head again to hide his face behind his hair.

"I heard Darry and Pony. I dunno... I guess I didn't wanna bother you guys."

"Shoot, kid. You know the whole gang is welcome at any time, no matter what. That includes you. Do you think Two-Bit would think twice before barging in, no matter what was going on?" Soda said, then laughed. "Hell, he even barged in one time Sandy and I were on the couch and... you know. And he just went to the kitchen to get a beer and came right back and sat down next to us. No apology or nuffin'."

Johnny kept his head down but chuckled a little at the thought of Two-Bit just walking by Soda and Sandy in that kind of situation. Yeah, Two-Bit didn't care about that kind of thing. No one in the gang really did. Well, except Pony.

"I just… wasn't in the mood for fighting, I guess," Johnny mumbled and pulled his legs closer to himself. His head was hurting from the hits his old man had landed on him a few hours earlier.

"Hey," said Soda. "Did you get in trouble at home again?"

He gently brushed the bangs away from Johnny's face, and sure enough: there was a new bruise blossoming purple on his forehead. Soda sighed. He was as angry as any of the others about Johnny's father being so abusive, but there wasn't much they could do about it.

"Damn," Soda said and ran his fingers gently over the bruise. "That bastard. Are you gonna be ok?"

Soda felt Johnny stiffen under his touch and swore he saw the hint of a blush on his face, although it was hard to see with that dark skin.

Johnny's eyes shifted away from Soda as he carefully touched the bruise. Soda was always so gentle with him. Not like Dally. He would start yelling and telling Johnny he was stupid for going home. Maybe he was. Maybe he _was _stupid. He let his head drop even more, hiding his face against his knees. He hated this life, and why he hadn't killed himself yet was a mystery.

"Hey," said Soda in a soft voice. "Don't be upset."

Johnny looked so miserable it cut into Soda's heart. He pulled the boy close and held him.

"You can't let 'im get to ya," he said, and without thinking or knowing why he kissed the top of his head.

"I'm not upset," Johnny said in a broken voice. As Soda held him he could just feel his body giving in. Soda had that way of making you feel like everything would be okay. And it didn't matter if you yelled or cried. He wouldn't leave. Johnny leaned against Soda and for the first time that day he felt safe. As Soda suddenly kissed the top of his head Johnny felt his face burn red. But Soda kissing someone's head was no big deal, he thought. He did that to Pony all the time.

"Come on," said Soda after a while of sitting like that. "Let's go home. Darry'll have dinner ready by now." He got up, pulling Johnny with him. "And you're staying over tonight. No discussion."

Johnny just nodded and started walking back with Soda. A few clouds had drifted back and a drop of rain fell here and there. Johnny kicked a stone as they left the lot. He was kind of happy Soda had come to find him, because from the looks of it the cold night was also going to be a rainy one.

"Is... is Darry still upset," he finally asked. Darry was never upset with _him_ but whenever he was in a bad mood it kind of rubbed off on some of the others. Himself included.

"Don't worry about that grumpy old man. You know how he and Pony are. It don't mean nuffin'."

They walked in and sat down at the table. The others had already started eating.

"Heey there, Johnnyboy," Two-Bit said and stuffed his mouth. "You don't have to run away from the house. It ain't Soda's turn to cook today," he laughed, then added, "not that Darry's a star chef either."

"If ya don't like if Two-Bit, you ain't gotta eat it!" Darry snorted. Two-Bit just raised an eyebrow at him.

"You okay there, Johnny?" Darry then said, seeing Johnny hadn't taken any food.

Johnny nodded.

"We'll clean that busted lip after dinner." Darry was pretty much used to fixing Johnny up by now.

**o0o0o**

Dinner was well over and Two-Bit had made himself comfortable on the couch. He didn't look like he was planning to leave anytime soon, Pony thought.

Soda knew Pony didn't like asking Two-Bit to move, so Soda said, "Ain't ya going home? The couch is Johnny's tonight."

"Oh, I'm so hurt," Two-Bit said, giving an act worth its money but moved onto the floor. "I'm just gonna hang for a while. Got a party later." He wiggled his eyebrows and laughed.

Johnny sat down on the couch. Darry had been holding him back in the kitchen to clean his lip, so now he didn't look too beat up.

Ponyboy sat down next to Johnny and they watched TV until Darry told Pony to hit the sack.

Pony sighed and got up. "Hey, Johnny - you coming with me to school tomorrow?"

"Yeah… I can do that," Johnny said with a soft smile.

"To bed, Pony. You too, Soda," Darry ordered.

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**A/N: Remember to check out the illustration for the chapter (link on my profile).**


	2. Are You Gonna Pay for That?

**A/N: We're planning to post about once a week from now on, so you won't have to wait too long :)**

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**Chapter 2 – "Are You Gonna Pay for That?"**

Johnny and Ponyboy got up early. Pony smiled to himself as they walked to school; it was nice having Johnny sleep over and walk to school with. It was almost like having another brother - same age. Not that they were same age, of course - Johnny was just a year younger than Soda, but they went to the same grade in school and Johnny just seemed younger than he was. In every way.

"Hey, Johnnycake, why don't you come to school more often?"

Johnny shrugged. "I don't like all the Socs… and well," he dropped his head a little, "Sometimes I just don't see the point in going."

"If you just keep your distance they won't bother you. They mostly ignore us greasers and stick to their own kind. It's not like they can get away with beating us up in front of the teachers, anyway."

"Yeah, I know," Johnny said and scratched his head nervously. "I guess I'm just a little tense that's all."

**o0o0o**

They were only ten minutes into first period when Ponyboy regretted telling Johnny he didn't need to worry about the Socs. The teacher told them to divide into pairs for a group work project. The bad part was that they weren't allowed to pick their own partner and Johnny was paired up with Andy Smith, a really mean and rather dumb Soc.

Pony watched the color drain from Johnny's face as they were all told to go find a quiet corner of the school where they could work on the project.

Johnny sat on his chair as people started to leave the classroom and his eyes followed Pony who turned to send him a worried look. He had to go with his partner. Johnny gulped, getting up and following Andy. Most of all he just wanted to run and hide.

As soon as they had exited the room Andy turned around and sent Johnny a dirty look.

"Too bad you couldn't bring your babysitter," he grinned. "What you gonna do now?"

"Ba...babysitter...?" Johnny asked, hugging his book and papers. This Soc clearly hated greasers. Not a surprise, really. "I can take care of myself," he said and walked past Andy.

A bit further down the corridor they found an empty classroom. Andy went through the door first and stopped abruptly to look around.

Johnny, who hadn't been paying close attention, bumped into him.

Andy whipped around and gave Johnny a hard push in the chest. "What're you playing at, you filthy little shit? Are you blind?" He gave Johnny another push. "Look at me! You've ruined my shirt! It's all greasy now!"

Another push. This time Johnny's back collided with the wall.

"Are you gonna pay for that? It's a real designer shirt! I'm guessing white trash like you ain't got that kind of money. What are you gonna do about that?"

"I-I'm sorry," Johnny stuttered. As his back hit the wall he dropped his books. Scared to even look at the much taller Soc, Johnny turned his head away and he mumbled. "You just stopped suddenly."

It was stupid. He hadn't gotten anything on his shirt at all and even if he had, he could just wash it.

Andy's face turned crimson with rage. "What did you say? _What the fuck did you just say to me_?"

The kid barely got time to open his mouth before Andy socked him hard in the face. Not a sound escaped him, not even a yelp. Obviously he hadn't hit him hard enough to make an impression, so Andy punched him once more with even more force.

The back of the kid's head hit the wall with a nasty "clunk" and he slid down it into a sitting position, his eyes sort of rolling back in his head.

Andy leaned forward to get a better look. Had he passed out? Suddenly he got scared. Not because he might have hurt the greaser too badly - he couldn't care less - but if he had, he might get in trouble. Everybody knew they had gone off together and even if the kid didn't blabber they would know it was him.

Then the greaser groaned and blinked a couple of times.

Andy sighed with relief. If the kid was conscious it couldn't be that bad. He leaned down and stared him right in the eyes.

"Now, what we're gonna do is you sit here and collect yourself a little, and then when you can stand again you get the hell outta here and head home, okay? Then on the way home some hoods attack you and give you those bruises. At least that's the story you're gonna tell."

He started to leave but turned in the doorway. "And if you tell on me, me and some pals are gonna give you such a working over you'll wish you'd never been born."

When Andy had left, Johnny tried to get up but fell back onto the floor. The entire room was spinning so he just sat there for a while.

A little later he managed to get to his feet and by supporting himself against the wall he made it out the door and down the hallway. His legs felt like lead but he kept going. If he told on the Soc he was in for it.

As he got outside and a little down the street, his vision started to blur and he found it hard to take another step so he stopped, placing a hand on his forehead. As he took one more step everything started spinning and suddenly it went dark.

**o0o0o**

Pony's study partner was a good student and they finished their task fairly quickly. They returned to the class room and Pony was surprised to find Andy there. Without Johnny.

"Where's Johnny?"

"Oh, that's his name? He split. Said the task was too difficult for him so he might as well go home."

Pony stared disbelievingly at him. That couldn't be right. Something was definitely not right. What had the Soc done to Johnny? Without thinking further about it he grabbed his bag and ran out the door.

Two-Bit came strolling down the hallway when Pony darted out of the classroom and almost ran into him.

"Woooah there, Pony! Where's the fire?"

"Johnny... Soc... went home... go look for him..." was all Pony said as he raced past Two-Bit.

"Pony! Wait up!" yelled Two-Bit and started running after Pony. He caught up with him just as he reached the front door. "Why was Johnny alone with a Soc, man?"

"We had group work - the teacher paired him up with a Soc. They were sent off together," Pony explained quickly. "I couldn't do anything about it! The teacher, he..."

"God dammit!" Two-Bit spat. "How dumb do you have to be to get employed here!" He looked around but couldn't see any sigh of Johnny. "You think he went home?"

"Yeah, I think he went home. Or the lot."

Two-Bit grabbed Pony and dragged him over to his car.

**o0o0o**

"Stupid fucking Soc... If he hurt the kid I'm gonna kill him!" Two-Bit said as they sped down the street.

They stopped at the lot but seeing that Johnny wasn't there they continued to the DX.

Two-Bit leaned out the window. "Hey, Soda! Steve! You guys seen Johnny?"

Steve and Soda came up to the car, already looking worried. Pony quickly explained what had happened.

"I'll take my lunch break early," said Soda and got in the car. Steve slammed the door shut behind him and said he'd look after the place while Soda was gone.

They cruised the streets, this time slower so they could keep a good lookout. It was Pony who spotted Johnny half-lying half-leaning against a tree, barely conscious.

They all jumped out the car and rushed to him. Pony looked at him in horror. His face was bruised worse than it had been this morning and he looked really sick. Soda and Two-Bit picked him up and put him in the car.

Johnny wasn't sure what was going on when he suddenly got lifted off the ground. For a second he thought the Socs had got him but then he recognized Two-Bit's voice.

"God... That fucking Soc!"

**o0o0o**

They went straight to the Curtis house and put Johnny on the couch. Soda sat down next to his head and started examining the damages.

Johnny was whimpering and mumbling incoherent things, such as Soc... Pony... sorry... etc. When Soda and Two-Bit started discussing whether to take him to the hospital or not, he got upset.

"I-I don't... need… hospital..." Johnny gasped and tried to sit up but Soda gently pushed him back down.

"Kid, you don't look too good, man," Two-Bit said, looking worried. "Who did this to ya?"

"I..." Johnny started but stopped himself. Thinking about Andy's words made him shiver and he decided to lie.

"Some… random guys... I dunno who..."

"It was that bastard, Andy Smith!" Pony exclaimed. "He's the one Johnny went off with and he came back alone with some stupid lie about Johnny being bored and leaving! You know who he is, don't ya, Two-Bit? He's that big dumb-looking guy who's been held back 2 grades because he's..." Pony was going to say "dumb" but stopped himself as he realized who he was talking to. Johnny, who had been held back one year, Two-Bit 2 years, and Soda who had dropped out (because he was dumb, as he claimed).

"N-no... he didn't do nothing..." Johnny tried to explain. He was breathing rather fast and seemed nervous all of a sudden.

Two-Bit walked off after nodding at Pony's question about Andy Smith. He hated that guy. He had had his run-ins with him a few times. A few moments later he came back with a piece of wet cloth and handed it to Soda. Two-Bit wasn't really that good at taking care of others. He could fight for them but clean them up?

Soda took the cloth and started carefully cleaning Johnny's face, all the while shushing him and telling him it'd all be all right.

"Just wait till Dally hears about this," said Ponyboy quietly.

Two-Bit forced himself to look away from the poor kid on the couch and dragged Ponyboy off to the side.

"Dally's gonna kill that guy, that's for sure." He sighed and sat down. "You _sure_ he's the guy?

Pony nodded.

"Then why does Johnny say it ain't him?"

"Because he's scared," said Pony after thinking a couple of seconds. Of course that was why. He knew Johnny better than any of them. "He probably threatened him. But we can't let him get away with it, can we? I mean, we'll protect Johnny and make sure they don't come after him again, right?"

"Damn straight!" Two-Bit nodded and looked over at Soda and Johnny.

"If we get that guy his friends might come after Johnny. That's what I mean," said Ponyboy. It occurred to him that maybe he shouldn't have told. That he should have kept his mouth shut about who did it. Now that the cat was out of the bag there was no way the others were going to let the Soc go unpunished. Why didn't he use his head? Now it was too late. It would be his fault if anything bad happened because he had named the guy.

**o0o0o**

Johnny shut his eyes as Soda gently patted the cloth to his face. "Ss... mm..." he emitted a few sounds once in a while.

"I guess the hospital would just tell you it's a concussion and to stay quiet for a few days, so I guess we don't have to go," Soda told Johnny. He knew the kid was really upset about possibly being taken to the hospital. It would mean his parents were going to have to pay - and that would probably mean another concussion, anyway. Johnny would also hate for the Curtis' to pay, because he didn't want to be a burden.

Johnny relax a bit. "Thanks… S-Soda," he said with a shaky breath.

**o0o0o**

They decided to wait and talk to Darry before they did anything else or involve the others. If they decided on not doing anything about the Soc, Dally and Steve couldn't know about what had happened, because they wouldn't be able to control their anger.

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**Link to the illustration for this chapter on my profile (or check Zayhad's account on deviantart). :)**


	3. Ain't Spaghetti Supposed to be Solid?

**Chapter 3 - "Ain't spaghetti supposed to be solid?"**

Darry came home late that afternoon. Johnny was asleep on the couch. They had given him 5 aspirins and covered him with a blanket. Darry looked at the small beat-up kid and without saying anything he walked out into the kitchen where Soda, Two-Bit and Pony sat.

"What the hell happened?" he asked in a low, angry voice.

Since Soda was already home something big must have gone down.

Once again Pony told the story. Every time he did it he felt worse about himself. It was all his fault. He should have been able to look after Johnny. He should have stopped it. And now Darry was probably going to yell at him again for not using his head. And he would deserve it...

Darry sat down at the table and took a deep breath.

"So this teacher of yours pairs Johnny up with a Soc - well knowing the tension there is between us and them," he said, shaking his head. "Why didn't any of ya say anything?"

Ponyboy just looked down at the table, not answering.

Darry sighed and looked at Soda. "Did he go to the doctor?"

"No, he won't. He got real upset when we talked about it. Do we have to?"

Darry frowned. Did they have to? Johnny never knew what was good for him and he just let things go as they did. Never wanting anyone to help him if it meant trouble for them.

"Why didn't you keep an eye on him, Pony?" he then said. "You asked him to come to school. And even if you got split in separate groups you could have stayed close to each other!" Darry got up from his seat and stared down his younger brother. He wasn't really mad at Pony. More frustrated, really.

"Darry, man," Two-Bit started. "The teachers are really tough on us greasers. I'm sure Pony couldn't do anything."

"I didn't know what to do!" said Pony. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes and blinked furiously to keep them back.

It wasn't often Soda got angry, but now he did. "Don't you blame Pony! He asked Johnny to come to school because Johnny _goes _to school! And he's fourteen, for Christ sake. What did you expect him to do?"

Darry got up and walked around. He felt a little bad for blaming Pony like that. He was just so fed up with the Socs getting and doing whatever they wanted and just getting away with it.

"Sorry."

"Darry," Two-Bit said. "What are we gonna do about that Soc? Do we beat him up or what?"

"I don't know. Who is he, Pony?"

Ponyboy wiped his eyes in his sleeve and told him again.

"We're gonna keep him here, ain't we, Darry? Till he gets better? We ain't gonna send him home to his parents like this, are we?"

"Of course not." Darry said. "I guess… from how it sounds we can't really do anything. If we go after him, he'll make even more trouble for Johnny." He sighed and sat back down.

"Soda, put Johnny in your room. If Dallas or Steve drops by, which I'm sure they will later, they'll demand to know what happened and I gotta figure out what to say."

"So we're just gonna let that asshole get away with it?" Two-Bit sounded very disappointed.

"For now," Darry said. "Let's just let Johnny get better first. If he goes back to school and something happens we'll take it from there."

**o0o0o**

Like Darry had predicted, Dallas dropped in for dinner. He was a little disappointed to find that it had been Soda's turn to cook.

"Ain't spaghetti supposed to be solid?" asked Dally as he poked it suspiciously with his fork.

"Very funny," grumbled Soda. He wasn't at all in the mood to be teased tonight.

Dally looked at him in surprise. "What's with Mr. Happy here?"

"Nothing," Soda said quickly. "The stupid food just gave me a lot of trouble and it bugs me."

Dally looked at him suspiciously.

Then the front door slammed open and an agitated Steve came rushing in.

_Shit_, thought Soda. Steve had been at the DX when Two-Bit and Pony came racing in. He knew they were looking for Johnny and that there had been trouble with a Soc.

"Hey," said Steve as he entered the kitchen. "Wow... spaghetti porridge, Soda?" He eyeballed the food and sat down. His gaze went over each one of them and then added. "Didn't ya find Johnny?"

Two-Bit looked over at Soda and then Pony.

"They did," Darry said. "Kid had gotten upset about some stuff at school and went to the lot. They picked him up there and now he's sleeping."

Steve looked at Darry and then back at Soda. "Right..." He didn't really buy that one and Soda could tell.

"What's with Johnny?" demanded Dallas.

"He... he just got uncomfortable in school and left. You know how nervous he is. I just overreacted. We found him and he's fine," said Pony.

"Where is he now?"

"He's sleeping, Dal. Leave him alone," Darry said and started to eat.

Two-Bit sent Pony a look. He hated lying to the others but for now this was probably for the best.

"He's here? Why ain't he on the couch, then?"

Darry was getting pretty annoyed by all the questions and put his fork down. "He's in Soda's room. He has a headache, okay? He had a run-in with his old man yesterday."

But Dally wasn't stupid and sensed something was wrong.

"I'm gonna check on him," he said and before the others had time to react he marched into Soda's room.

"What the hell, Johnny?" he exclaimed when he saw how bad the kid had been hurt. "Who did this to ya? Don't tell me it was your dad, 'cause I ain't buyin' it!"

Johnny rolled over on his side facing away from Dally. It hurt really bad to even move but he just didn't want to look at Dally right now. Mostly because he was afraid of bursting into tears if he had to try and lie about what had happened. "It was..." he settled with saying.

"TELL ME!" Dally shouted and shook Johnny.

"Stop it!" cried Ponyboy. He just couldn't stand it, and before he could stop himself he blurted out with the whole story.

Dally's face went crimson with rage. "WHAT?" he yelled. Then he grabbed Pony by the collar, nearly lifting him off the ground, and slammed him up against the wall. "What the fuck were you thinking, you little punk?" he yelled into his face. Then he shook him so hard his head bumped into the wall.

"Dal, Stop it!" Johnny cried and sat up.

Darry grabbed a hold of Dally and made him let go of Pony. "It ain't his fault!" he said, pushing Pony behind him, shielding him from whatever Dally might try to throw at him next.

Only a few hours earlier Darry had been yelling at Pony for the same thing but he would not have Dally hurt him.

Steve stood in the doorway. His eyes burned with rage as well. He wanted blood.

"What did you say his name was?" asked Dally. "Andy something? Do you know him, Steve?"

Steve nodded and was already heading for the door.

Dally said, "Let's go! If any of you yella bellies wanna give us a hand, now's the time! Two-Bit - gimme your knife!"

"Dal, I ain't gonna give ya my knife, man. But I'm gonna join ya," he said as he followed Steve. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at Soda. "Sorry, but I ain't gonna let him get away with this."

Darry sighed. He was tempted to join them. He was just as angry as they were.

"Please don't!" Johnny cried. He tried to get out of bed but his legs wouldn't hold him and he dropped to the floor.

Soda immediately swooped down to pick Johnny up and got him back into bed where he tugged the blankets nicely down around him.

"Darry..." he said, "maybe we should go with them. You know - to make sure it doesn't get out of hand. Pony can stay here with Johnny..."

"Good idea," Darry said and walked towards the door. He turned and pointed at Ponyboy. "Pony - stay here. You got that? We'll be back later." He left the house and took Soda with him.

"I'm sorry, Pony," Johnny whimpered. "I didn't do nuffin' to him. I-I just bumped into him and then he was at my throat. I didn't mean to."

"Stop it. It ain't your fault. You know they'll use anything as an excuse to beat us up."

Johnny nodded slowly. "Yeah... I know…"

**o0o0o**

"We gotta take it easy, ok?" Soda said to Steve. He knew there was no chance in hell Dally would listen to him, but Steve was his best friend.

Steve sent Soda a curious look and for the first time since he'd heard the story his eyes were not burning with hate. "Yeah alright," he nodded after a moment. "Why didn't ya tell us anyways, man? Soc needs a woopin and for good reason."

"Johnny's really scared. That guy threatened him. And you know he's gonna get all his friends and come after Johnny if we do this. How are we gonna protect him then?"

Steve stopped for a second. He hated to admit it but that made sense. "Look, Soda. Maybe I get what you mean, but Dal won't. And I ain't gonna let him stand alone."

"Maybe we should just tell the guy to back off," Darry said as he suddenly stood beside them.

"Yeah and why don't we buy him a beer as well," Steve snorted.

**o0o0o**

It turned out the issue wasn't resolved that night. They searched the city for hours but didn't find Andy or anyone who could tell them where he was. Finally they decided to go home.

"At least we know where he goes to school," growled Dally, continually opening and closing his fists. "And I'm gonna wait for him outside the doors from early morning."

Two-Bit and Steve went home. Darry and Soda came back and found both boys sound asleep. Pony was lying in an awkward angle, his feet on the floor and his head resting on Johnny's legs.

Soda gave him a little shake. "Hey, Pony. Off to bed," he whispered, careful not to wake Johnny.

Johnny turned over on his side as Pony moved his head away. For the first time that day he looked peaceful.

Darry went to the kitchen and made some coffee. It was late and probably a bad idea to drink coffee but he needed to sit down and think.

It was such a mess. Dally was going to beat the crap out of this Andy and that would make Johnny a human target at school. And maybe Pony as well. They were known as best friends. Darry rubbed his temples.

* * *

**Link to the illustration for this chapter on my profile (or check Zayhad's account on deviantart).**


	4. Pick on Someone Your Own Size!

**Chapter 4 - ****"Why Don't Ya Pick on Someone Your Own Size?"**

Dally was leaning against the wall of the school head building, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He had barely slept the night before, fantasizing about what he was going to do to the damned Soc.

Two-Bit was pacing the grounds, keeping a lookout. They hadn't said much to each other. Both were tense and focused on one thing only. Two-Bit not cracking jokes was proof of the seriousness of the situation.

A girl walked by Dally and as she passed him she made sure to sway her hips a little extra. When Dally didn't pay attention to her she stopped and turned to face him.

"Hey there," she said in a flirtatious voice. "Can I help you with something?"

Dally glared at her. "What are you - a fucking waitress? You can get me a beer or you can get the hell out of my face!"

**o0o0o**

Ponyboy had been allowed to stay home, both so that Johnny wouldn't be alone and because Darry didn't want him near the trouble that was bound to happen at the school.

Johnny was sitting on the couch and looked out the window. "I wish we could have stopped them," he said to Pony.

**o0o0o**

Two-Bit peeped out from behind a tree. "Oooh – that broad's hot! What d'ya say, Dally?" Two-Bit grinned.

Dally just answered with a glare.

Two-Bit started walking toward the school the same way the girl, who had gotten pretty upset with Dally, had disappeared. "I'm just gonna check for the guy inside…"

**o0o0o**

Johnny got up from his seat. "I'm going to school."

Ponyboy sent him a surprised look but got up as well.

Johnny didn't want Dally getting into a fight with Andy because of him, and if he got there and convinced Dally to drop it then just maybe there wouldn't be trouble. Andy wouldn't know that Johnny or Pony had told on him and nothing more would happen.

"Johnny, I'm not sure this is a good idea. We were supposed to stay home. You were supposed to rest," Pony said as he trotted alongside Johnny. "Darry's gonna freak out."

Johnny didn't answer; he looked determined and walked at a brisk pace. At least he looked a lot better than yesterday. Sure the bruises looked nasty, but he was clear and well enough to be up and about.

When they reached the school, Johnny stopped and looked around.

"Do you see any of 'em?" he asked. His eyes wandered the schoolyard but he couldn't see either Dally or Two-Bit.

"Dally is over there," Pony said and pointed at Dally who stood up against a wall.

"Dally?" Johnny walked toward Dallas, who first looked surprised, then angry.

"Dal, please don't..." Johnny stopped as he suddenly spotted Andy.

Andy saw him too.

Pony started sweating like crazy. Both he and Johnny had stiffened and were just staring at the Soc.

Andy glanced from Johnny to Pony. That little shit! From the look on the other little guy's face there was no doubt he knew what had happened. Had they told anyone else? Maybe the brown-haired kid needed a warning as well... Andy took a quick look around. There was a small alley between the side of the building and an old tool shed just ten or so yards away. If he could get the kid in there…

Making a quick decision, Andy rushed forward, grabbed Ponyboy by the collar and hauled him off toward the alley.

"Pony!" Johnny cried.

Looking over his shoulder after Dally, Johnny saw that a teacher and a security guard had in the meantime stopped Dally from moving anywhere. Had they really called Security just because of Dally being at the school?

Johnny stood there for a short second. Should he run to the school and try to make them understand that they had to let Dally go and go after Andy instead? No – it might take too long. They never believed greasers. He had to go help Pony.

Running toward the alley he heard Dally yell after him but he had already made his decision.

**o0o0o**

Ponyboy was so shocked that he didn't react until he had been dragged all the way into the alley. Then he started kicking and hitting everything he could reach. He was a pretty good fighter for his size and age, but this particular Soc was very big and strong. Even Darry would have had his work cut out for him.

Andy slammed the kid up against the wall, holding him up so high that he had to stand on his toes. He pressed his giant hands against the little shit's neck - just to give him a nice little scare. And of course it was kind of fun watching him squirm like a fish on a hook and turn blue in the face.

Pony panicked. He couldn't breathe and there was no one there to help him. Then, suddenly he saw something small jump onto the back of the Soc. Johnny.

Johnny slung an arm around Andy's neck, trying to cut off his air supply but it was pretty much like trying to squeeze air out of a log. He could feel how much stronger the Soc was, so he had to be smart and use other methods. He dug his teeth into Andy's shoulder as hard he could and tasted blood. Andy howled in pain and whipped around, throwing Pony several yards down the alley, and reached back to try and get a good hold of Johnny.

Pony landed hard on his side and slammed his head into the concrete. The pain was worse than any he had ever felt, even though he had been hurt a couple of times in rumbles. It felt like if he were to move a single muscle, he wouldn't be able to take it. He gasped for breath and his lungs and chest burned with every heave. His head started spinning and the last thing he saw before everything went black was Two-Bit coming racing around the corner.

Both his hands free, Andy grabbed a hold of Johnny's arm and slung him over his shoulder. Johnny landed on his back and got the air knocked out of him.

"You son of a bitch! You're gonna pay for that!" shouted Two-Bit.

Andy turned around to face Two-Bit. "Bring it!"

Two-Bit came flying at him. Andy dodged his first blow but Two-Bit made a comeback with his other fist, planting a good solid punch in Andy's jaw.

"How'd ya like that, you piece of shit!" Two-Bit hollered.

Andy reeled back a step and brought a hand up to his mouth. Then he spit on the ground – blood and a broken tooth.

"Why don't ya pick on someone your own size?" yelled Two-Bit and attacked the Soc again

Two-Bit was smaller than Andy but that didn't stop him from giving it all he had. Seeing Pony and Johnny on the ground made him furious.

Andy finally seemed to come to grips with the situation. He blocked Two-Bit's next blow and punched him hard in the stomach with the other hand, making him double over. He was about to hit him again when the sound of police sirens tore through the air. Andy froze for a second, then turned around and ran away from the scene.

Two-Bit wanted to go after him but stopped himself. He needed to tend to the kids.

**o0o0o**

Dally yelled and cursed. The damned security guard had gotten the best of him and put him in handcuffs. He could hear the tumult from behind the building and those idiots couldn't understand that he had to go and help. Then he heard sirens and twenty seconds later two police cars pulled up in front of the school. People had started to gather in a crowd and Dally took advantage of the confusion. A quick knee in the stomach and the guard doubled over and allowed Dally to pull free.

Dally ran as fast as he could towards the alley. He turned the corner and saw Two-Bit bent over Ponyboy. Johnny was lying a few yards away, gasping for breath and eyes huge and black. The Soc was nowhere to be seen.

"WHERE THE HELL IS HE, TWO-BIT?" Dally yelled.

Two-Bit kept his head down as he slid an arm around Pony's back and the other under his legs, lifting him up.

"The bastard ran, man." He stood up, supporting Pony's head with his shoulder. "Look, Dal. I stayed here to help the kids – the guy can wait. I gave him a good whoopin'. He might think twice before he tries anything again."

Johnny rolled over onto his stomach and tried to get up. Why had he come here? If he had stayed home, Pony wouldn't be hurt now. Fine - Dally would have beaten the crap out of the guy and then it had been on Johnny after that. But at least it would only have been him.

He sank back down. Breathing was extremely painful. He wasn't sure if it was because of the blow or because of the guilt he felt.

Three policemen came rushing around the corner. One of them and the security guard threw themselves at Dallas. There wasn't much he could do other than yell at them, because he was still handcuffed.

"What the _hell_ happened here?" asked one of the cops, staring at the limp body in Two-Bit's arms and the bruised boy on the ground.

Another cop stepped toward Two-Bit. "Arrest him!" he ordered

"WHAT?" Two-Bit yelled, but he gave up trying to explain he didn't do anything. It was pretty clear that he had done _something_ since he had blood on his hands and bruises from hitting the Soc. He took a few steps back with Pony still in his arms. "On what charges?"

"Just come along nice a quiet now."

"He… he was just helping us," Johnny tried to explain as he coughed a few times. "We got… jumped…"

The two officers looked suspiciously at Johnny.

"You sure you didn't cause this yourselves?"

"Now, Jenkins," said the oldest and calmest of the officers. "Are you suggesting the kids are to blame? Look at the state of them! Go call for an ambulance instead." Then he unhooked a set of handcuffs and turned to Two-Bit. "Put down the boy - carefully," he said.

Two-Bit raised an eyebrow at the officer. He wasn't used to the police believing them. If there were problems, of course the greasers were to blame. He gently lay Pony down and took off his jacket to put under his head. The poor kid was pale as hell.

"Say, cop…" he said to the older officer. "What's the deal? How come you don't think _we're_ the bad guys here?"

Johnny had had stopped trying to get up and lain his head back down on the cold concrete. Everything was spinning. Another blow to the head hadn't made his condition any better.

"I said I don't think the _kids_ are the bad guys. Turn around and put your hands in the air," the officer said and stepped forward to cuff Two-Bit.

"What the fuck's the matter with you!" yelled Dally. "Do your job and go find the asshole that did this!"

Two-Bit sighed and held up his hands. "Serious, man. Why the hell would I hurt them and then help them!" This was just so fucked up, Two-Bit thought as the Policeman cuffed him. He looked down at Pony. "It's gonna be okay, kid. Dunno if ya can hear me, though."

* * *

**Link to the illustration for this chapter on my profile (or check Zayhad's account on deviantart).**


	5. As Much Luck with Boys as with Girls

******A/N: **We announced earlier that we were planning to post about twice a week - but that just turns out to be more than we can manage, so about once a week will be the plan from now on :)

* * *

**Chapter 5 - ****"Seems like You Got as Much Luck with Boys as with Girls."**

The ambulance arrived and picked up Johnny and Ponyboy. Before Dally and Two-Bit were put in the police car to be taken down to the station they were asked for the phone number for the boys' parents so they could be informed. Two-Bit gave them the number for both Darry's work and the DX.

**o0o0o**

Darry was working on the new roof of one of the middleclass houses as he was called down by his boss. He found that very weird because that never happened. He was a bit afraid that he might get fired for some reason.

"The police called," his boss said. "Your brother is in the hospital with some other kid named Johnny or something... I told them you would be right there."

**o0o0o**

"Soda?" Steve said. "There's a telephone call for ya. They asked for a relative of Ponyboy..." Steve handed Soda the phone.

Soda clutched the phone so hard his knuckles turned white. "What do you mean injured? What happened? How is he?"

Steve was standing behind him, trying to get his ear as close to the receiver as possible. Soda hung up and turned to him, white in the face.

"It's Pony and Johnny... they went to the school and got beat up. They think Two-Bit did it..."

"What?" Steve's face had confusion written all over it. "Why the hell would they think Two-Bit would beat them up? And why the hell where they even at school!"

Darry pulled up beside the DX and yelled for Soda. Soda stuck his head out and Darry ordered him to get in the car.

Steve agreed grudgingly to stay behind and look after the DX again. "Make sure to clear Two-Bit, will ya, Superman?"

Darry just nodded and sped off to the hospital.

**o0o0o**

They arrived at the hospital and asked for Ponyboy and Johnny. The nurse agreed to take them to Pony. Johnny was not family but she had called his parents, she assured them.

To Soda's immense relief Ponyboy was awake. He was lying in the bed propped up on a big pillow. He had a bandage around his head and a large abrasion running from his temple to his chin.

"Hey," he grinned when he saw them. "What are you guys doing here?"

Darry and Soda exchanged perplexed glances.

"Pony... what happened? Are you okay?" asked Soda as he sat down next to Ponyboy and put his hand on his unbruised cheek.

"Yeah. It's alright here. They took pictures of me," Pony said, as if something very exciting had happened to him.

"Pictures? Who took pictures? The policemen?"

"The hospitalmen," giggled Pony.

Sodapop turned his head to send Darry a worried look.

"What the hell were you doing at the school, Pony? I told you to stay home until this was outta the way. Now look what happened!"

Darry walked over to the window and looked outside. Why didn't Pony ever listen to him? Now both kids were in the hospital and Two-Bit and Dally in jail.

**o0o0o**

Johnny opened his eyes as the door opened. To his horror he saw his mother come in. She thanked the nurse and actually seemed nice, but as soon as the door closed she slapped Johnny without hesitation.

"What the hell are you doing here, you good-for-nothing brat!" she hissed. "Like we don't have enough problems - you gotta get yourself in trouble and end up in the damn hospital! We can't afford that! And you _know _it!"

Her voice was loud and clear - easy to hear at least a few rooms down.

"We were right about you. You're nothing but trouble!"

**o0o0o**

"Darry!" scolded Soda. "That doesn't matter right now! Can't you see it's really bad? He's all... I think he really hit his head."

Pony's strange behavior was worrying Soda more than anything. He had that stupid grin on his face and his eyes were strangely unfocused.

Darry turned and looked at his youngest brother again. He could see what Soda meant. "I'm gonna go talk to a doctor… hear what he has to say."

A nurse entered the room. "Hello, Ponyboy. How are you?" she said with a soft smile.

Pony just smiled back and nodded a little.

"What's wrong with him?" Darry asked.

"You have to ask the doctor about that," she replied. "But I need to take a few blood samples. Do you mind waiting outside? So he doesn't get distracted."

Darry nodded and dragged Soda with him.

**o0o0o**

"Now you get your ass outta this hospital or I'll make sure you get a good reason to stay here!" Mrs. Cade yelled.

"Just go..." Johnny said, trying to act like he didn't care.

"Don't tell me what to do!"

**o0o0o**

As Soda and Darry exited Ponyboy's room they heard yelling from a few rooms down the hall. A nurse rushed in there and the yelling got louder. Soda and Darry looked at each other and followed the nurse.

She was arguing loudly with Johnny's mother, trying to get her to leave.

"He's _my _son and I'm taking him with me! He doesn't need some fancy hospital to get over a few bruises!"

"You need to leave NOW!" said the nurse. "Or I'm calling security!"

Darry and Soda stopped in the doorway as they spotted Johnny's mother.

Johnny was sitting in bed. He didn't react at all to the yelling and his eyes just looked empty.

The nurse left the room to get security but as Mrs. Cade went back toward the bed, Darry grabbed her by the wrist.

"I think you were leaving." he said.

"I'm not leaving!" she spat at Darry and tried to make him let go, but he had a firm grip and started to drag her out.

"You'll pay for this!"

"Yeah well, sue me then!" Darry said and dragged her out. He'd had enough trouble for one day.

A security guard had arrived when Darry exited Johnny's room with his mom in tow. He took over and escorted her out of the ward.

A doctor had arrived when Sodapop and Darry came back to Ponyboy's room and they started bombarding him with questions.

"Your brother has a broken rib and a small concussion."

"But he's... all weird," said Soda. "Are you sure there's nothing worse wrong with his head?"

"No, no - that's just the painkiller he's been given. Some people react stronger to the drugs than others."

Darry and Soda visibly relaxed.

"Does he need surgery?"

"No. He just needs to rest for a few weeks."

"I run track," said Ponyboy.

"Not the next few weeks, you don't," said the doctor.

"I'm gonna," Pony whispered to his brothers - so loud that the doctor could easily hear him as well.

"I guarantee that you won't. Once the drugs wear off you'll find out why."

"What about Johnny?" asked Soda, worried. "The other kid."

The doctor looked from one to the other and then sighed. "Well, he has a concussion and a few cuts and bruises. He didn't break anything, luckily, but he's very emotionally affected."

Soda and Darry looked at each other. That wasn't really a surprise.

"He's a friend of yours?"

"Yeah, he's like family," Darry said as he returned his gaze to the doctor. "His parents ain't exactly picture perfect."

The doctor nodded. "Yes, I understand there were some problems with his mother earlier."

"Would it be okay if we check on him as well? We weren't allowed when we got here."

The doctor looked at them pensively for a minute. "Well, under the circumstances I think we can make an exception and let you see him. Those parents of his... is there any physical abuse involved?"

Darry wasn't sure what to say to this. If he said yes then maybe the doctor would get the social services to look into things. He decided on: "Not that I know off… But they don't have a great relationship."

The doctor looked at him skeptically. "He has bruises that are too old to be from today. Did he get those at home? Remember that as a doctor I am bound by professional secrecy."

"Look... why don't you talk to him yourself," Darry said. He could feel Soda's eyes burn into his neck. He didn't really want them to talk to Johnny about his home life but he didn't want to say something he might regret, either.

Johnny sat in bed. They had left him alone since his mom had been there but that only left him with a lot of thoughts. Mostly he was worried about Ponyboy. He had woken up in the ambulance but he didn't look too good. Johnny decided to go see for himself how he was doing. He got out of bed and walked to the door. Standing up had made him dizzy and he had to stop for a minute to compose himself. Still feeling weak, he continued.

Soda spotted Johnny when he came staggering out into the corridor.

"Johnny!" he exclaimed and hurried over to support the swaying boy. "What are you doing out of bed?"

The doctor and Darry turned around. "Get him back inside!" said the doctor and waved a nurse over.

The nurse took over and Soda marched back up to the doctor and blurted out: "Look - you gotta let us take him home with us! It isn't safe for him to go home to his parents like this!"

The doctor rubbed his temples and then nodded.

"Fine... You can take both boys home. You just have to sign some papers. And if anything happens with either of them you bring them straight back."

**o0o0o**

When the papers were signed Darry drove down to the police station.

Dally and Two-Bit were waiting in a cell at the station. Two-Bit had used his phone call to call the hospital for news, but since he wasn't family they wouldn't tell him anything. Dally hadn't bothered using his call because they both knew the other three would already be informed and that they would take action as soon as possible. They had made quite a ruckus, though, pestering the officers for information about Pony and Johnny. Dally had been so abusive in his language that they had made a note to add _disrespect_ to his charges (kneeing the security guard in the stomach and resisting arrest).

When Darry walked into the police station Two-Bit was hanging on the bars and shaking them dramatically.

"Darry! Get me outta here, will ya? I didn't do it! Well - I didn't do _this _one…"

Darry just sent him a look and turned his attention to the nearest officer.

"Hello. My name is Darrel Curtis. I'm here to get Keith Matthews. And Dallas Winston, if possible."

"Aww, man, Darry? Don't use _that_ name!" Two-Bit complained.

"Well they don't exactly know you as Two-Bit, do they?" Darry said.

**o0o0o**

As soon as Steve's shift was over he picked up Soda, Pony and Johnny at the hospital and took them home to the Curtis house.

On the ride home Steve looked in the rearview mirror at Soda. He had both younger boys leaning on each shoulder.

"Seems like you got as much luck with boys as with girls, huh Soda?" he teased.

**o0o0o**

Darry managed to convince the police that Two-Bit had been fighting off the boys' attacker. Both because Darry looked less like a hood and because he seemed more like a responsible adult than the others. The officers also found it highly doubtful that he would defend a friend who had hurt his little brother that badly.

"And you said his name was...?" asked the officer and looked up from his typewriter where he was writing a report.

"Andy Smith. He's in my brother's year in school. Older though. I think he's been held back a couple of years..."

The officer nodded and asked his colleague to let out Two-Bit.

"What about Dallas?"

"He's staying for a couple of days at least. Charged with assault and verbal abuse. It's not like we're surprised. He's a regular here."

"I'll send an officer over to have a chat with Mr. Smith," said the policeman at the typewriter.

"Have a chat?" spat Dallas. "Is that it? He should be put away for good! Or have his kneecaps shot off."

"Thank you, Winston - when I want your legal advice I'll ask you. Until then keep your mouth shut!"

The officer turned his attention back to Darry. "We'll need testimony from the boys once they're up for it. Are they still in the hospital?"

"They're being taken to our house."

"Alright. We'll probably send someone by tomorrow."

Darry nodded and turned to Dallas. "Dally – please don't make any more problems while you're here, so you can come home soon."

**o0o0o**

Darry and Two-Bit found Soda and Steve in the living room.

"Where's Pony and Johnny?"

"Sleeping. Johnny's in my bed," said Soda and smacked Steve when he sniggered.

Darry said that they should let the kids sleep as long as they could and be careful not to disturb them.

"Hey, Two-Bit!" said Soda "Where do you think _you're_ going? Leave them alone - they need to sleep!"

"I wanna make sure they're okay!" Two-Bit said as he busted into Ponyboy's room. "Hey, kid! I missed ya! Man, you scared the shit outta me!" He gave Pony a hug and then left for Soda's room.

Before any of the others could stop him he kicked the door in.

"Johnny!"

Johnny sat up so fast he almost fell out of bed.

"Kid! How are ya?" Two-Bit said as he jumped onto the bed.

"Two-Bit, God dammit!" Darry yelled.

"Hey, Soda. Two-Bit's hugging your boyfriend," Steve laughed.

"TWO-BIT!" yelled Soda angrily. "You're scaring the hell out of him! He's just been attacked twice in the last two days! And it ain't like he had the steadiest nerves before! What were you thinking?"

It was rare for Soda to get mad so Two-Bit stared at him open-mouthed for a second before throwing his hands up in surrender and retreating theatrically.

Darry grabbed Two-Bit by his collar and dragged him out of the room.

"Let's go see how much damage you did to Pony!"

"Hey, take it easy," said Soda as he sat down on the bed next to Johnny, who was still shaking slightly from the shock. "Just relax, okay? Two-Bit's the most dangerous person that can get to you here, so you're safe, okay?"

Johnny took a few deep breaths to settle his nerves. He had his arms wrapped around himself but let them drop as he finally relaxed. His left hand landed on one of Soda's.

Steve studied Soda and Johnny for a moment and then decided to go into the living room. Soda had it covered. He was the one who was best at these sorts of things, anyway.

"It's gonna be alright," said Soda and put a gentle hand on Johnny's shoulder. "You're gonna stay here until you're well again, okay?"

Johnny opened his mouth to say something - no doubt about not wanting to be any trouble - but Soda cut him off.

"You ain't gonna be a burden. Think of it as looking after Pony, if that makes you feel better. There's no way Darry'll let him stay here alone until this situation is resolved. You'll actually be doing us a favor. Otherwise, Darry or me would have to take time off work."

Johnny dropped his head a little. "Okay..."

That was indeed true. He could look after Pony and that would help both Soda and Darry. His hand was still on Soda's and without thinking about it he let his fingers slip around it. He suddenly realized what he was doing and removed his hand with a jerk. He looked up at Soda who was still watching him.

"S-sorry!"

Soda chuckled at how easily embarrassed the kid got. "Sorry for what?" he said and gave Johnny's shoulder a little squeeze before letting it go.

Soda watched him closely for a minute. Johnny really was a sweet kid. Not just personality-wise. He was kind of pretty, too. Not guy-handsome, but... pretty. He had those big dark eyes and thick eyelashes. And Soda had always though the way his hair always flopped into his eyes suited him real nice - even though Johnny hated it. If he were a girl he sure would be cute, Soda thought. He suddenly realized how uncomfortable he was making Johnny by looking at him like this. The boy was staring very hard at his hands and blushing as furiously as his dark skin allowed.

Soda smiled and got up. "Get some more sleep, all right? I'll make sure Two-Bit doesn't bother you again. We'll put him on a leash or something."

Johnny couldn't help but chuckle at Soda's remark and nodded. Soda always made him feel better and safer. Johnny looked up at him and sent him a soft smile. One of his rare real ones.

Sodapop sure was good looking. And charming. The kind of guy that everyone loved. He could get anyone he wanted, Johnny thought. He just had to snap his fingers and girls would drop at his feet.

It wasn't like that for Johnny at all. No one dropped at his feet. The only girl that had ever made a move on him was Silvia and that was probably because she saw him as an easy target. At least that's what Steve had said. Or something like that.

Johnny wondered if Silvia had ever made a move on Soda. He hoped she hadn't. He wasn't sure why but he didn't like thinking about that – or all the other girls who bothered Soda constantly.

* * *

**Link to the illustration for this chapter on my profile (or check Zayhad's account on deviantart).**


	6. Wanna Find out what It Feels like?

**Chapter 6 - ****"Do You Wanna Find out what It Feels like?"**

A policeman came by the next morning. Darry had taken the day off because he wanted to support the boys and make sure they were treated properly. Two-Bit was there as well.

"Did you haul in the bastard?" asked Two-Bit before the door had even closed.

"We've had a word with him," said the officer, sending Two-Bit a tired look.

Johnny was very reluctant to tell his story but Ponyboy and Two-Bit told everything that had happened. Pony knew that Johnny was terrified of cops (even though he had never been arrested) and that Andy's threats still stuck deep.

"Mr. Smith denies having been present at the scene behind the school," said the policeman.

Well, of course he does, thought Ponyboy. It would have been too easy otherwise.

"That means that if we are to prove his guilt it's absolutely necessary that the two boys testify in court."

"He mutilated my kid brother!" said Darry and slammed his fist in the table. "It's pretty simple – do your damn job and throw him in jail! Had it been one of us, there would've been no fancy trial and jury."

"If we did that we would have a horde of big shot lawyers at our throat in ten minutes," said the officer. "If you want a chance to get him punished you'll have to go the legal way."

"Isn't it enough Keith testifies?" asked Darry. Pony knew Darry wasn't keen on having him put on display. He didn't want to draw too much attention to problems regarding their family, because the authorities were keeping an eye on them concerning his custody of Pony and Soda.

"First of all - he arrived late at the scene, and regarding the incident in the classroom, Johnny is the only witness. Besides," he added, "the word of a known criminal isn't exactly considered credible by most people."

Ponyboy was determined to testify - if Darry would let him - but he wasn't sure Johnny was.

The police officer handed Darry a card with his name and told him to call when they had decided what to do.

"How good are our chances if we go to court?" Darry asked.

"Nothing is ever certain when it comes to crimes. It all depends on testimonies and the jury."

Darry looked at both Ponyboy and Johnny. Pony seemed calm but Johnny's eyes were full of fear.

"Well," the officer said and got up from the couch. "Give me a call by tomorrow. Otherwise Mr. Smith goes free." Then he said goodbye and left.

Darry scooted over beside Johnny. "Look, Johnny," he started, but Johnny cut him off.

"I ain't gonna go to court. He'll just get even angrier."

"Johnny… We can't let him get away with this."

Johnny just dropped his gaze to the floor.

Darry looked from one boy to the other. What were they going to do? On one hand he wanted to see the guy punished. On the other hand he was worried about how the Socs would react if they pulled Andy into court. And Ponyboy and Johnny would be in the middle of the whole thing.

**o0o0o**

Both Ponyboy and Johnny ate their dinner at the table that night. Well, Johnny didn't so much eat as just sit there. Sodapop knew he was worried sick about the possible trial.

Pony went to bed right after finishing. His rib hurt, even though he was on pain reliever, so he wanted to lie back down.

Johnny just sat on his chair, looking uncomfortable. Darry didn't notice, of course. He was a pretty ignorant when it came to emotions. That was more Pony and Soda's thing.

Darry was talking about the trial and Johnny said as little as possible, without giving a clear answer about what he wanted to do.

It seemed that Darry had decided it was best to go ahead with the trial, and that it wasn't too much of a risk regarding the authorities and his custody. Soda reckoned he was right. Pony had been jumped at the school. What was Darry supposed to do - not send him to school? No, they would probably see it their way.

**o0o0o**

When they had cleaned up, Darry said, "I'm gonna go to bed. It's been a long day and I can't miss work tomorrow."

As Darry passed Ponyboy's room he silently opened the door to check on him.

"Is he sleeping?" asked Soda.

Darry nodded and left for his room.

Johnny took in a deep breath. He had really made a mess for everyone. The house seemed so quiet all of a sudden. Two-Bit had gone home and Steve was at some show with Evie. Dally still in jail. It was really rare for the house to be so 'empty'.

Soda went up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Why don't you go sit on the couch?" he said. "I'll make us a nice cup of tea."

Johnny got up and went into the living room. Soda came back five minutes later with two steaming mugs. He sat one down on the table in front of Johnny.

"I put honey in it. I always do that when Pony's upset. It helps him sleep," he smiled and sat down next to Johnny.

Johnny whispered "thank you" and took a sip from his mug.

"Look, Johnny. We ain't gonna pressure you into doing something you don't wanna. Pony and Two-Bit'll testify either way, and maybe that'll be enough. So don't feel like you have to. And don't feel guilty either. None of this is your fault."

Johnny forced a small smile. He had done nothing wrong? It had started with him because he had walked into Andy and got beat up. Then he brought Ponyboy with him to school, resulting in Pony getting hurt and Dally and Two-Bit thrown in jail. Sure... nothing was his fault.

"I wish he had just killed me..." he said in a low voice. He wasn't sure he really meant it, but that was how he felt right now. He held the mug with shaking hands, his tea nearly splashing over.

Soda looked at him in shock. It wasn't the first time he had heard Johnny talk about dying, but it cut deep into his heart anyway.

"Don't you say that!" He pulled Johnny into a hug and started gently rubbing his back. "Don't ever have thoughts like that. We'd be devastated if you died - don't you know that? The reason everyone's going crazy about this whole thing is that we all care so much about you. You're everybody's favorite."

Johnny rested his head against Soda's shoulder, his hands on his chest. He was everyone's favorite? But why did everyone have to get hurt because of him? He took a gentle grip on Soda's shirt and cuddled his head against the warm skin of his neck. A few tears started to run down his cheeks and he shut his eyes tight, trying to keep them back. He had been crying way to much lately and he hated it. He hated being weak. He wasn't the youngest but he was the weakest it seemed. Pony took all of this so easily and Johnny just fell apart.

Soda held him close and kept stroking his hair, even though his fingers got all greasy. He didn't say 'don't cry' because it was okay to cry and Johnny probably needed it.

They sat like that for a long time until Johnny finally stopped crying and pulled back. Soda fetched some paper tissues and gave them to Johnny to wipe his face.

"Thanks," Johnny said and kept his head down as he took the tissues and dried his eyes. He was embarrassed to have cried like that in front of Soda, but Soda didn't seem to mind at all.

A drumming sound came from the window and Johnny turned his head to see what it was. Rain drops made their way in a slender path down the window glass. First small ones and then bigger as the rain got heavier.

Good thing I ain't at the lot, Johnny thought to himself.

It was a really nice feeling, sitting here with Soda. Johnny felt very comfortable around him. He took another sip of his tea when he gained control of his trembling hands.

Soda looked at the other boy and felt his heart do a flip. He couldn't stop staring at his lips. Damn it, he wanted to kiss them.

_Hmmm… Interesting_.

Soda was surprised at the realization but it didn't scare him or disgust him. So, Johnny was a boy. So what? Who decided that you could only like the opposite gender, anyway? Soda had never cared about the general norm. Why should anyone else decide what was right or wrong?

Johnny noticed Soda staring at him and gulped.

"W…what?" he asked as he turned his head a little. Soda kind of had that dreaming gaze in his eyes and Johnny just stared right back into them.

It gave him a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach and he bit his lip nervously.

"What's wrong, Soda..." he said in a near whisper.

"Oh, nothing", smiled Soda and shook his head. "Just thinking."

They sat there a little while, quietly. Then Soda said, "Johnny... did you ever have a crush on a girl?"

The question came as kind of a surprise for Johnny. To be honest he never really thought about girls.

"No... I haven't." He turned his head to look at Soda. "Why...? You interested in a girl?"

He suddenly felt stupid for asking. It wasn't like Soda needed advice on how to pick up girls.

Soda shook his head. "Not since Sandy. It doesn't feel too great to have your heart broken, so it takes a little while getting back in the saddle, you know?"

"Oh... yeah… right…"

Johnny looked away. He hated to have brought it up. Pony had told Johnny about the nights that Soda had cried over Sandy. Personally he though Sandy was really stupid for letting Soda go.

"I'm sorry she left you, Soda..."

"That's not the worst part, though. She cheated on me and got pregnant. That's why she left."

Soda took a deep breath and leaned back.

"I'm over it now, though, so don't worry. But I'd like you to keep it to yourself. Only my brothers and Steve know."

"Of course, Soda... I won't say anything," Johnny assured him. He felt kind of honored that Soda had let him in on something so personal that only his brothers and best friend knew.

He picked up his mug again and took a large gulp, nearly choking on the tea.

"Careful now," said Soda, "you okay?"

Johnny coughed and nodded. Then he wiped his mouth, and Sodapop couldn't help staring at his lips again.

"So," said Soda and cleared his throat. "You never wondered what it's like being with a girl?"

Seeing how Johnny stared back at him in horror Soda decided to rephrase the question. "I mean, kissing and stuff."

"N-no... " Johnny started. Just _thinking _about people kissing made him blush. "It's not like I know much about that sort of thing..."

"Do you wanna find out what it feels like?"

"Sure, I g-guess?" Johnny said, confused.

"I mean, now?"

Johnny's jaw literally dropped. What did Soda mean, _now_?

Soda gave him a little smile. "Just for the fun of it. To try what it's like. It's no different than kissing a girl. I think."

"O-okay?" Johnny stuttered. He didn't know how to react or what to say.

"Come here, then," said Soda softly, edging himself closer.

Sitting there, their faces just a foot apart, Soda felt his heart pick up speed. This was really exciting! Johnny's eyes were huge, the pupils blown wide open. He was barely breathing, his breaths coming in little fast puffs.

"Relax," said Soda. "There's nothing to be scared of. It doesn't hurt or nuffin'."

He cradled Johnny's face gently and leaned in.

Johnny had completely frozen, his hands clutching his knees.

Soda stopped for a second. "You don't have to if you don't want to," he said. "You sure you wanna?"

Johnny's bottom lip was trembling as he tried to speak. "Ye-yeah... like you said… It ain't gonna hurt."

His heart was racing and he was afraid it might burst out of his chest. Soda's face was so close to his own he could feel his breath against his lips.

Alright, here goes, thought Soda. He closed the gap, tilting his head a bit so their noses wouldn't get in the way, and pressed his lips gently against the younger boy's.

Johnny was completely unresponsive. His lips were stiff and motionless against Soda's. He felt like a rigid piece of wood as he sat there, not knowing what to do. He took a couple of deep, trembling breaths through his nose, trying to steady himself.

Soda's lips were soft and warm against his, like nothing he'd ever felt before. A warm feeling spread in his stomach and careful not to ruin anything, he titled his head to the opposite side.

Soda smiled inside at the small initiative and decided to go a bit further. He moved his lips slowly and ran his tongue gently along Johnny's lips, trying to coax him to open up a bit.

Johnny flinched a little but only so their lips parted for a second. Soda's tongue ran over his lower lip again and it made him give out a low sound at the back of his throat. His grip of his knees slackened and he let his lips part just a little.

Accepting the invitation, Soda slipped his tongue inside and let it rub softly against Johnny's. He felt a violent shiver run through the other boy at the contact.

Soda was a little surprised it didn't really feel different than kissing a girl. And definitely as good.

As Johnny started taking a little more active part, Soda slid his fingers a little further back, treading them through the dark hair, and deepened the kiss.

Johnny made a small gasping sound. His eyes fell shut and carefully he moved his hands from his knees and with a bit of hesitation placed them on each of Soda's shoulders.

Was this really happening? Or would he wake up in the lot any moment, cold and alone? He felt hot and cold at the same time and wondered for a second if that was normal.

Finally Soda pulled back, ending the kiss. He looked expectantly at Johnny, who still had his eyes closed and mouth slightly open, as if he hadn't yet registered that it was over. Then he blinked and opened his eyes, looking a little dazed.

"Well," said Soda. "How was it, then?"

Johnny let his hands slide off Soda's shoulder as he suddenly realized that he kiss had ended.

"It... it felt…" He wasn't sure what to say. If he said 'good', would Soda think he liked him? Really, really liked him? And maybe then he would feel disgusted by Johnny.

"It was… good?" he said, trying not to sound like he had enjoyed it too much. But he was afraid the blush on his face gave him away so he looked down, trying to hide behind his bangs.

Did he enjoy it? Did he like Soda? In _that_ way? No - that would be weird. Wouldn't it? Thoughts were racing through his head. Soda had kissed him… but that was just to help him... right?

Soda felt a broad smile spread across his face. "Yeah? That's good. I still got it, then," he said, winking.

They sat there a little while, drinking the rest of their tea. Then Soda got up and said, "It's late... Maybe we should hit the sack. _I_ gotta, at least, I have the morning shift. And you should probably get some rest for that head of yours."

Johnny nodded and got up as well.

"Oh, and Johnny - if you wanna practice some more, just tell me, okay? Any time." Soda really, really hoped he would. "And," he added, "you did pretty good. Definitely a natural. So you don't have to worry about that." He flashed him one last smile and headed for bed.

Johnny stood there stunned with his face burning red. Practice some more? Really? And he was a natural?

The thought of kissing Soda again made him burn up. It all seemed like a distant dream, even though it happened just a moment ago. His fingers in his hair. His lips against his.

Johnny shook his head, trying to get the thoughts out of his head, but it only made him stumble back and land on the couch.

* * *

**Link to the illustration for this chapter on my profile (or check Zayhad's account on deviantart).**


	7. Do You Want Me to Stop?

**Chapter 7 - ****"Do You Want Me to Stop?"**

Next day at work Soda found it hard to focus on the job at hand. He even spilled gasoline because he forgot to stop in time when he was filling up a car. The costumer got mad and said he wasn't gonna pay for that.

Steve was all 'what the hell is up with you today?'

What was up with Soda was that he found himself incapable of thinking about anything but Johnny. Kissing him last night had really had an impact. He kept thinking about it, how he wanted to do it again. And that wasn't all he wanted to do. He wondered what it would be like touching him. Not just his hand or cheek like he already had.

He kept thinking about how sweet the younger boy really was and how he just wanted to make him smile and feel good. He was really cute when he smiled. He definitely should do that more often.

"Man, Soda," Steve started as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"You've been daydreaming all day. I guess a little dreaming ain't too bad, but hell, man, you're costing us money. What is up with ya?"

Steve had been Sodapop's friend for years so he knew when something was up with him. Usually Soda was flirting with every damn girl that came in, but today even the hottest girls had only gotten a "have a nice day."

"Are you sick?"

"What? Oh, it's just the whole trial thing. I'm really worried, you know.

Normally Sodapop told Steve just about everything. But this... no. He didn't even know what 'this' was yet, and also there was Johnny to consider. Soda was pretty sure he wouldn't want anyone to know something private like that. He wasn't really lying, though. He _was_ worried about the trial. Really worried that it might put his baby brother in danger and the same went for Johnny, who was just as vulnerable as Pony - if not more.

**o0o0o**

The trial date had been set. Two weeks from now. That left Johnny a bit of time to make up his mind. Sodapop had asked Darry to lay off him a bit. Darry meant well, but he wasn't good at being patient and considerate (which was one of the reasons he and Pony had difficulty getting along sometimes. Pony was a sensitive guy, and Darry just had a hard time understanding him). Darry had reluctantly agreed to let Soda handle the situation.

After Pony had gone to bed Sodapop visited Johnny in his room. Johnny was already in bed, sitting up, reading a magazine.

Soda sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled. "Watcha reading?"

Johnny shrugged. "Don't really know. I-it was lying on the coffee table."

He sounded really nervous and Soda doubted it had anything to do with the magazine. Soda smiled at him again, hoping to make him a little more comfortable.

"Have you thought anymore about the trial?" he asked. "I'm just wondering," he added. "You don't have to feel pressured into doing anything, you know. Remember that. We'll understand whatever you choose."

Johnny put the magazine down and leaned his head back against the wall.

"I think I'm gonna do it... Maybe... I dunno."

He placed a hand on his forehead and closed his eyes. He wasn't really sure he could handle it - going to trail. He would have to sit there and recount the incident while Andy was listing. And if he didn't get convicted then Johnny was as good as dead. Pony as well. And even if the guy got sent to jail what would his friends do then? Leave them alone? No way was that going to happen.

Johnny felt sick all of a sudden and bent forward a little. All this thinking made his head spin.

"Hey, hey there," said Sodapop and grabbed Johnny by the shoulders as if he was afraid he would fall over. "Don't make yourself sick over it. If you're afraid, you don't have to do it. It'll be alright."

Actually Sodapop was pretty sure things weren't going to be all right at all. No matter what happened there would be trouble. There would be acts of revenge if they went to trial and Andy was convicted. If he wasn't, some of the other gang members would probably take the law into their own hands and punish him. Dally might actually kill him, Soda thought. Dally had a soft spot for Johnny, as if he considered him his little brother, and _nobody_ laid a finger on Johnny when Dally was around. The only reason he hadn't beaten Johnny's father to a pulp long ago was that Johnny had begged him not to. But this was a Soc. And he had hurt and scared Johnny worse than his dad ever had. Soda didn't think any amount of begging would do the trick.

But there was no reason upsetting Johnny any further.

"It's gonna be alright," Soda said again and pulled him close.

Johnny laid his head on Soda's shoulder and closed his eyes. It felt good hearing him say it would all be alright. Even if Johnny didn't believe it.

"I just," he started. "I just don't wanna let Pony take the fall for it. It was my fault to start with."

He clutched Soda's shirt as if he was afraid Soda might disappear all of the sudden.

"It ain't your fault. You didn't ask to be attacked," whispered Soda and held Johnny even closer. Oh, God. Now he couldn't think of anything but how his body felt pressed close to his. It seemed Johnny was feeling something too, because he tensed up a little and his breath hitched.

"I-I guess," Johnny said in a low voice.

He bit his lower lip in a nervous attempt to calm himself down. He wasn't sure what was going on with him lately but every time Soda was near him his body started acting weird and the kiss the day before hadn't helped. _I sure wouldn't mind trying that again_… he thought, but quickly shook it out of his head

Soda pressed his nose against Johnny's neck, testing if he would show signs of wanting to move away. He didn't. Soda even thought he was leaning a little bit into the touch. Taking that as permission, Soda changed his angle a little so he could press his lips against the neck as well. He felt Johnny draw in a breath and when he turned his head ever so slightly, Soda didn't hesitate to capture his lips with his.

As Soda's lips softly touched his, Johnny's eyes drifted shut automatically. Soda was kissing him again? Why? Actually, right now Johnny didn't care why. It felt too good.

Not sure how Soda would reach, Johnny moved his arms carefully up around his neck and pulled himself a little closer to him. He prepared himself, just waiting for Soda to realize his mistake push him away. But nothing happened. Soda didn't push him away.

Johnny putting his arms around his neck spurred Soda on and he got a little more forceful, kissing deeper and more passionately. He was a great kisser and knew it. He hoped Johnny appreciated it. He let his fingertips slip deftly up under Johnny's shirt and caress the skin on his back.

The deepened kiss and the feel of Soda's touch made Johnny let out a small gasp. Embarrassed, he broke the kiss and hung his head a little.

"Do you want me to stop?" asked Soda.

Johnny bit his lip and shook his head.

"I-I just... the sound... I'm sorry," he stuttered and blushed heavily.

Soda removed his hand from under Johnny's shirt and pulled back to look at his face. "What?" he asked, completely confused. "You're sorry about what?"

Johnny looked up at Sodapop's face shyly.

"I made... that sound before... and I'm sorry about it... I dunno why… it just happened..."

Soda felt his face split in a large grin and he almost laughed. "Golly, Johnny, why don't you apologize for your own existence? Don't be so self-conscious. You can make all the sounds you want."

Soda wasn't sure if Johnny had gasped because he was startled when he touched him or because he liked it.

"Is it okay what we're doing? I mean, do you like it? Or does it make you feel uncomfortable?"

Johnny gulped as Soda smiled at him.

"It... it doesn't make me feel uncomfortable..." _Not at all!_ was his thought, and now he actually felt kind of stupid for stopping Soda. Lost in his thoughts he started moving his fingers a bit, caressing the back of Soda's neck where his hands were still resting.

Soda smiled again, a little triumphantly. He hadn't misjudged Johnny - he definitely liked it. The boy was just really shy and had no self-confidence. Soda needed to lead the way if this was going to go anywhere. He was just scared to push him too far, because he knew it was difficult for Johnny to say no.

"It's not uncomfortable? But do you _like_ it?" he asked. Then he leaned close to Johnny's ear and whispered, "Because I do. I like it a lot. I like _you_ a lot."

Johnny's eyes widened in surprise. Slowly he pulled a bit back so he could look at Soda, shyness written all over his face.

"I... like it a lot," he said, still very embarrassed

He was surprised how much he liked it, actually, and he had to admit he really liked Soda too.

Soda dove in to steal a small kiss before getting up.

"You should probably get some sleep. The doctor said you shouldn't overstrain yourself."

Johnny sent him a small, shy smile.

"It ain't wrong, you know. What we just did," said Soda. He could just imagine Johnny starting to worry about this.

"Are you sure?" Johnny asked.

He hadn't heard about any guys ever kissing each other. He also didn't want anyone to know. Pony would probably throw a fit if he knew that Johnny had kissed his brother.

"Why should it be wrong? We ain't doin' no harm to anyone are we? I say if you ain't harming no one you ain't doing nothing wrong? Don't worry about it."

"Yeah…" said Johnny, not sure what to think about that. "I guess I should sleep, then..."

To be honest he didn't really want Soda to go and he wasn't even sure he could sleep yet.

**o0o0o**

Darry was waiting in the living room and looked up from his newspaper as Sodapop came out from his room.

"So... you guys had a long talk, I presume?"

Darry thought it was kind of long Soda had been gone but figured maybe Johnny needed to talk about something. The kid had been through a lot the last few days.

"He's really scared, Darry. I think maybe we should leave him be. And Pony... Honestly I don't like the thought of him testifying either. I don't really care about justice. I just want them to be safe..."

Darry sighed. "I know what you mean. But if they don't, he goes free. And I'm pretty sure he'll jump either of them as soon as they go to school again. Also, Dally will probably kill the guy and then we have the trouble. The cat is outta the bag, kid brother... We can't change that."

* * *

**Link to the illustration for this chapter on my profile (or check Zayhad's account on deviantart).**


	8. I Ain't Leaving Them alone again

**A/: So sorry for the long wait this time. Will be faster with next update.**

* * *

**Chapter 8 - "I Ain't Leaving Them alone again"**

Sodapop and Steve had the evening shift the next day. Ponyboy and Johnny were home alone - door locked, of course, and threatened by Darry with the death penalty if they left the house. Two-Bit was babysitting his sister, Dally was still in jail and Darry at work. He had to take extra shifts because he had paid both Ponyboy's and Johnny's hospital bill.

After the shift had ended both Soda and Steve hurried back to the house. On his way up the stairs to the porch Soda suddenly froze and stared at the door. Something had been nailed to it. A dead, black cat.

"What the hell?" Steve said with disgust in his voice.

He glanced at Soda and saw how terrified he looked.

"Go check on the boys, Soda. I'll remove this," he said and went behind the house to look for a shovel and a bag.

Soda burst into the house, yelling, "PONY! JOHNNY!"

Both boys nearly jumped through the roof. They had been camping out on the couch, watching TV and eating popcorn. If you had to be home sick, you might as well spoil yourself a little.

"Soda!" cried Ponyboy. "You scared the hell out of us!"

Johnny was still shaking from the shock and his pants were soaked with Pepsi Cola.

"Sorry. Sorry. I just... I was nervous about you being here alone. I guess I overreacted."

Sodapop wasn't sure it was a good idea telling them about the cat. It would really scare them. He thought it best to wait and talk to Darry about it first. There was no doubt about who had put the cat there, and Soda didn't think it was a coincidence that it was a black cat. He hurried outside to tell Steve to keep his mouth shut about it.

**o0o0o**

When Darry pulled up in front of the house he could sense that something was wrong. Sodapop was sitting on the porch smoking and he usually never did that unless he needed to settle his nerves.

"Hey, Pepsi Cola," Darry said as he slammed the car door.

Soda just looked up at him and said: "We need to talk."

When Darry heard about the cat his face turned serious.

"So - do we tell 'em?"

"I think that might be a bad idea... a real bad idea..." Darry said. Both boys were already scared and Johnny was close to a nervous breakdown. "We just better keep a close eye on them like we already do... Just... really keep an eye on them. I'm not sure how long we can keep them out of school, though. If they miss much more they'll be held back."

"I ain't leaving them alone again," Soda said, determined. "We'll have to... Two-Bit can stay here as much as possible, and when he can't... they can stay with me at the DX. If they help out a little bit I'm sure the owner won't mind."

Darry asked what Soda planned to do when they had to go back to school.

"Johnny ain't gonna go back there as long as this ain't over. I'm pretty sure about that. But Pony... Steve and Two-Bit are gonna have to escort him to and from every class. It'll be a new experience for Two-Bit coming to school every day for a while," said Soda. "I don't care if Pony gets teased for having bodyguards. It's better than ending up in hospital again."

Darry sighed and agreed. Maybe it was best for now to let the boys go with Soda to work until he could get things arranged with Steve and Two-Bit about Ponyboy. Soda was probably right about Johnny. He wasn't going to go to school. Not even if they dragged him there.

**o0o0o**

Sodapop brought Ponyboy and Johnny to work the next morning. It was kind of nice having company, actually, instead of being there alone most of the day.

"Here you go," said Soda and emptied two containers of nails and screws on a table in the garage. "They're all mixed up and need to be sorted into the right boxes. I know it's boring but it's something you can do without overexerting yourself, and it beats doing nuffin' all day, doesn't it?"

"It's fine," said Ponyboy. "I don't mind helpin' out."

"Great!" smiled Soda. I'll just go get Johnny started with something. If you see anything suspicious you just run through the back door and yell for me, okay? Don't try being a hero."

Soda took Johnny to the back room of the store to get him started unpacking some boxes with items to be put on display in the store

Johnny began unpacking a few boxes and after he had done the two that Soda had given him he looked around for more to do. On the top shelf he spotted another box and stood on his toes to reach it.

"No, no," said Soda, "that's a misdelivery that needs to be sent back."

He stepped in behind Johnny and reached up to stop his hands from taking down the box. He suddenly became aware of how close they were - he practically stood pressed up against Johnny's back.

Johnny suddenly had trouble breathing as he felt Soda pressed against him and the lack of air made him a little dizzy. Slowly he reached down and took a hold of the shelf in front of him, and to catch his breath, he bent forward a little, pushing his backside against Soda. Realizing what he had done Johnny quickly stood back up.

A surge of arousal welled up in Soda and he spun Johnny around and caught his mouth in a kiss more urgent and passionate than the ones they had shared so far. Johnny opened his mouth to let out a surprised gasp and Soda used that opportunity to push his tongue inside.

The gesture nearly shut Johnny's brain down and, forgetting to be nervous, he responded, moving his tongue along with Soda's the best he could. He had taken a tight hold of Soda's shirt - partly to keep himself standing, and partly to pull Soda closer.

Soda groaned as Johnny pull him in. Eyes falling shut, he let himself get lost in the kiss that was turning even better now that Johnny had started taking active part in it. It made shivers run down his back and his head spin. Wanting to better feel the other boy, Soda's hands crept up under his shirt and ran over the warm, smooth skin. He started feeling hot and pushed Johnny up against the shelves. He was completely hard by now and he realized that Johnny must be able to feel it. He hoped it wouldn't freak him out.

Johnny let go of Sodapop's shirt with one hand and placed it on the shelf behind him as he got pushed back against it. He got a little startled when he felt the unmistakable hardness pressing against his hip.

Sodapop desperately wanted to rub himself against Johnny but he didn't want to risk scaring him away so he settled for pressing himself just a bit harder against him. The kid obviously had no sexual experience and it seemed he knew close to nothing about it. Of course Soda didn't know much about when it was two guys either, but how much different could it be?

The hand under Johnny's shirt made its way up his chest and Johnny let out a small moan as Soda's fingers started playing on his skin. Feeling Soda's erection press against him drove him nearly insane. Every inch of his body was on alert and whenever Soda just moved a bit, Johnny's knees got even weaker. He knew his face must have been red because he felt like he was burning up. His pants were also getting a bit tight.

Soda was relieved Johnny didn't get all weird or push him away. He tried moving a bit more. He hadn't had sex for months (since Sandy) and he was so turned on he could barely hold himself back. And - _oh God_ - now he could feel that Johnny was growing hard as well...

"S… Soda," Johnny gasped and took a harder grip on his shirt, trying to steady himself.

"Yes," murmured Soda and dipped his head to plant hot kisses on the younger boy's neck.

There was another sharp intake of breath and Johnny tilted his head back, allowing Soda better room.

And then the bell sounded. They both stiffened and pricked their ears for a second. Then Soda sighed heavily and stepped away from Johnny.

"Costumers." He sounded just as bitter as he felt. "Sorry, Johnny. I have to go out there."

He pulled out a comb from his back pocket and quickly put his hair back in order. Before leaving, he leaned in, gave Johnny's earlobe a little suck and whispered, "We'll finish this sometime later..."

Johnny blushed furiously at Soda's words and as he left, Johnny sank to the floor, his knees finally giving in. After a few minutes of collecting himself he got up and went outside for a smoke and some fresh air.

**o0o0o**

Johnny sat down on a large rock and lit a cigarette. His hands were shaking so it was a bit of a task.

"Oh God..." he said in a low voice and sucked in some air.

"Got an extra one?" asked Ponyboy as he walked up to Johnny, having spotted the cigarette in his hand.

Johnny handed him the whole pack and Pony dropped down next to him. He had just lit a smoke when he noticed how strange Johnny looked. He was shaking slightly, his hair was mussed and his face flushed.

"What's wrong, Johnny?" Pony asked, worried all of a sudden. "Something happen?"

Johnny gulped and looked down at his shoes.

"N-no. Uhm…" he started. "I just ain't feeling so good. This whole trial thing's freaking me out, man."

"Wanna go see a movie?" asked Pony after they'd been sitting there for a little while, just smoking.

Johnny looked at him like he had suggested they go hunt dragons.

"Yeah, I know we're not allowed to be alone, but I'm really sick of it," explained Ponyboy.

Johnny scratched the back of his neck and then nodded in agreement. He needed something to take his mind off of things.

"Do... do we just give Soda the slip?" he asked, a bit uncertain.

Pony looked in the direction of the shop. He felt awfully guilty about just running away from Sodapop. He briefly considered asking him to go with them when his shift was over but he was so annoying to go to the movies with. He just couldn't sit still that long. Besides, Pony was so tired of having someone breathing down his neck, like he was some small kid who needed babysitting all the time. And there was still another whole week until the trial. He was going to go crazy before then. Pony was a very private person - he needed to spend time alone regularly. He had never imagined he would ever get tired of having Soda around, but here he was. It was different with Johnny, because he was so quiet and not in-your-face. You could be in the room with him and forget he was even there.

"Yeah," he said. "We'll just leave a note on the gas tank saying that we'll be back in a couple of hours."

Johnny bit his lip nervously. He didn't really like to just leave a note. Darry and Sodapop had given clear orders for them not to be alone at any point. But then again they were not alone. They had each other and Johnny could use a break from everything as well. A break from thinking. He felt strange around Soda. Not in a bad way, but... nervous and confused. And his heart would start hammering away every time Soda looked at him. And after the incident just now the thoughts were flying around in his head even more.

"Sure, alright," he agreed.

* * *

**Link to the illustration for this chapter on my profile (or check Zayhad's account on deviantart).**


	9. Do You Think This Is all a Joke?

**Chapter 9 - ****"Do You Think This Is all a Joke?"**

They had just left the DX and were walking down the street when they spotted someone coming walking towards them. Ponyboy stopped suddenly.

"Damn - it's Two-Bit and Dally! Quick - hide!" he said and jumped behind a building, followed by Johnny.

"Hey, wasn't that Pony and Johnny?" Two-Bit asked Dally.

Dally nodded and Two-Bit yelled: "Hey, kids! Come on out!"

Ponyboy and Johnny slunk back into the street, both looking awfully shamefaced.

"Where's your babysitter?" asked Dally.

"At the DX, Dal," Johnny said, looking down at his feet.

"You kids running away?" Two-Bit laughed and took a sip of his beer.

"It ain't funny, Two-Bit!" snarled Dally, looking daggers at him. Then he turned his attention to Ponyboy. "This your idea, you little punk?"

Of course it was. That kid was so dumb sometimes. Darry was right about him not using his head. How he did so well in school was beyond Dally. He guessed that was the difference between book-smart and street-smart.

Ponyboy gulped and looked away from Dally's piercing glare.

Johnny looked at Pony and made a decision.

"It... It was my idea," he said.

"Don't try to take the blame for him, Johnny," said Dally in a warning tone, making Johnny wish he could hide under a rock somewhere.

"It's just the kind of idea that stupid kid gets. Do you think this is all a joke?" he added, turning his attention back to Ponyboy.

"W-we just wanted a little air. We were on our way back right now..."

"You're a lousy liar, Pony! Where were you going?"

Pony hung his head. "Just to catch a movie."

"A movie? And how did you think your brother would react when he discovered you're gone?"

"We left a note..."

"A note? Try not to act like such a fucking child once in a while! Your brothers bend over backwards for you - and this is how you repay them?" Dally was getting himself worked up. "You know how worried they get! Do you care about that at all?" He gave Pony a push in the chest. "Do you?" Another push.

"Dal, come on, man," Two-Bit said and took a hold of Dallas' shoulder but Dallas shook it off.

Johnny didn't like that Dallas was getting so worked up and pushing Pony in the chest like that. Pony, who had a broken rib and who hadn't meant any harm.

"STOP IT!" Johnny yelled at Dally and stepped in front of Ponyboy.

Dally stared at Johnny, teeth clenched. For a short moment Pony thought he was going to hit him, but then he stepped back, throwing his hands in the air in a frustrated gesture.

"Fine! If you two want to get turned into mincemeat, then go ahead! I don't give a shit!"

Then he marched off, leaving Ponyboy and Johnny standing on the sidewalk with Two-Bit.

Johnny's head dropped as Dally walked off. All he had wanted was for him to stop pushing Pony.

Two-Bit sighed and yelled for Dally but when Dally flipped him the finger he decided to leave him alone.

He looked at the two boys. "He's just worried, that's all. C'mon... Let's go back."

"Hey, Two-Bit," said Ponyboy. "Do you think you could... not tell Soda? If he hasn't found out we're gone yet."

Two-Bit raised an eyebrow at him. "Sure, kid... Just don't run off again, will ya?"

When they reached the gas station Soda came rushing outside. From the look of worry and then relief there was no doubt he had discovered they had been gone.

"Soda," said Pony, sounding extremely guilty. "We just… we were just..." he looked at Two-Bit as if pleading with him to do something.

Two-Bit sent Pony a look. Not really sure what to do, but also feeling sorry for Pony, he sighed.

"Just found the kids wandering around. You were... taking a stroll?"

Johnny nodded. "Sorry…" He felt really bad for leaving Soda. He knew that he was very worried for both of them. "I... I needed some fresh air and asked Pony to join," he lied.

It was enough that Dally had yelled at Pony. He didn't need Soda to be mad at him as well (not that he would yell or push). And Johnny didn't even want to think about how Darry would react if he found out.

Soda didn't say anything, he just held up the note they had left on the gas tank. His facial expression had changed to one of disappointment.

Pony swallowed hard. How could he have been so selfish and run out on Soda like that? Soda, who he loved more than anyone, and who were always so good to him.

"I'm sorry," he nearly whispered. "I didn't think. And it was my idea. I just dragged Johnny along..."

"You could have asked me to come," said Soda, a hint of hurt in his voice. "You know I would've. Or Two-Bit. Or Steve."

"I know. I just... I'm really tired of being watched all the time."

Soda sighed. "You know we don't do it to bother you."

"I know." said Pony again. "Soda..."

"I ain't gonna tell Darry," said Soda. He nearly always knew what Pony was thinking. "Just... please don't do it again."

Johnny just stood there with his head down and his hands in his pockets, feeling the guilt build up inside. It was stupid trying to lie to Soda. He had just tried to help Pony but had only made it worse. Somehow he was sure this would ruin everything and that Soda wouldn't ever trust him again.

"You want me to take 'em home, Soda?" Two-Bit asked watching the two boys. One looking lousier than the other.

"Yeah, that's fine. Or wherever they wanna go."

Pony and Johnny followed Two-Bit home. None of them said anything on the whole way, and they didn't laugh at Two-Bit's jokes no matter how hard he tried. Ponyboy felt just horrible. The worst part was that Sodapop wasn't even mad. He would have preferred being yelled at and punished the way Darry would have. This only made him feel even guiltier.

**o0o0o**

When they got home Johnny just went out into the back yard and sat down. He felt a knot in the pit of his stomach and when he thought of him and Soda it just grew. He felt like he had let Soda get close and then just stepped on his feelings.

Johnny ran his fingers through his hair and then rested his face on his palms. Why did he have to mess things up like that? He should just have said, _I don't think that's a good idea, Pony,_ and none of this would have happened. He was the older of the two, for Christ sake. He should have known better.

Two-Bit sat Pony down on the couch.

"How's your rib, kid?" he asked, actually sounding worried.

He had noticed the painful expression on Pony's face when Dally had pushed him and Dally, of all people, should know how much broken ribs hurt.

Pony shrugged. "Not great. But I guess I deserved it. I wish Soda had gotten mad at me..."

"Why?" Two-Bit never did get much about Pony and how he felt.

"Just... I wouldn't feel so guilty I guess. Johnny, too."

"Don't worry too much about it... okay?" Two-Bit said and gave Ponyboy an awkward pat on the shoulder.

Being all caring was really not his strong point. And being serious was even less.

"Hey - why don't we… ehm... wrestle? Oh... I guess not. Hmmm… watch a movie?" He suggested, actually making Pony crack a smile.

**o0o0o**

Johnny was still sitting in the back yard when Sodapop came home. After having talked to Two-Bit and Pony for a bit Soda went around to find him. Johnny gave a start when he spotted Soda. Damn, that kid was a nervous wreck.

"Hey," said Soda and sat down.

Johnny gulped and whispered, "Hey."

Soda waited a little while to see if Johnny was going to say anything else. When he didn't, Soda said, "I ain't mad at ya if that's what ya think." He knew it had been Pony's idea, because he was the one who was sick of being watched all the time. Johnny was probably grateful someone cared about what happened to him at all.

Johnny just kept his head down. He was glad that Soda wasn't mad but he still felt horribly guilty.

"I'm sorry, Soda." he whispered. Then he took in a deep breath, looking at Soda out of the corner of his eye. "Did... did you talk to Pony?"

"Yeah. We're fine. He's just a kid. He didn't mean anything by it."

Johnny nodded, relieved that Soda was taking it so well.

They sat there a little while, Johnny still looking down at the ground.

"Are you okay?" asked Soda after a while. "I mean, with you and me..."

"Yeah..." said Johnny in a soft voice. "I'm just a little confused... "

Johnny was pretty much starting to realize he had feelings for Sodapop. The kind of feelings boys were supposed to have for girls. But Soda was a boy and Johnny was scared of what people might think of them.

"What are you confused about? Is it because I'm a guy?"

Johnny nodded with a bit of hesitation.

"I dunno... I just... I'm scared of what everyone will say if they find out. "

He ran his fingers though his hair again. Actually he was terrified about it. He could feel himself tense up and he took a deep breath.

"And what'll Pony say?"

"I dunno," said Sodapop. "He'll probably think it's kinda weird at first. But you know Pony... he's a tolerant kind of guy. But we don't have to tell anyone else if you don't want to. It's nobody's business."

In fact Soda thought it was probably a good idea not to tell anybody. Johnny didn't need more attention drawn to himself. And Soda knew how most people viewed boys who liked other boys.

"I… I guess you're right..." Johnny said.

A few clouds had drawn in and the sky was getting darker. As Johnny looked up a few drops of rain hit his face. It was cold but also refreshing in a way.

Soda smiled and gave Johnny's knee a little squeeze.

"So you're sure you wanna keep doing this? You don't have to just because I do. If you'd rather have a nice girl I'll understand."

Johnny looked down at the hand on his knee and shook his head. "I..." he started and placed his hand gently on Soda's. "I don't want anyone else…"

He felt his face start to burn red again, realizing how true it was. He had never been interested in any girl and after what had happened with Soda, Johnny couldn't imagine wanting anyone else that close to him.

Soda's heart did a flip and his smile widened. Johnny's answer definitely sounded genuine.

"What do ya say we go inside before we get completely soaked?"

**o0o0o**

Darry sat in the kitchen reading the newspaper.

There was a small article about the upcoming trial where a few teachers and students had commented on the events. Most of them said that it was probably Ponyboy and Johnny who had started the whole thing. Well, the teachers said it was probably Johnny because most of them knew Ponyboy as a good kid. But no one seemed to think Andy Smith was at fault.

Darry signed. It was nothing new that people blamed everything on the poor kids. The scum.

He looked up at the clock and saw it was getting late. It was about time for the boys to get to bed so he got up and walked into the living room.

"Alright, be-"

Darry looked at the floor where both Pony and Johnny had fallen asleep while watching TV. He couldn't help but smile and walked over to knock on the door to the bathroom, where Soda was taking a shower.

"When you're done in there, Soda, would ya mind helping me with the bags on the floor?"

* * *

**Link to the illustration for this chapter on my profile (or check Zayhad's account on deviantart).**


	10. Move Along - Nothing to See here

**A/N: No - the fic has not been abandoned. I've just been extremely busy the last couple of weeks. My apologies!**

* * *

**Chapter 10 - ****"Move along. Nothing to see here."**

Soda was still very worried about the trial and what happened the next day didn't help matters. He was at work, filling up a nice new car occupied by a handful of Socs he hadn't seen before.

Suddenly one of them said, casually: "You really like that brother of yours, don't you?"

Soda froze.

"It would be a pity if something were to happen to him before that trial... Him and that little scrawny friend of his," the Soc continued, studying his nails.

Fear gripped Soda, but he also got angry. "You better back off! You're gonna pay if you touch them!

The Socs all laughed. "You ain't scaring us, pretty-boy. You ain't got nothing we can't match."

"What's going on here?" said Steve, who was just exiting the shop.

"Not much. Just having a small chat," said the Soc in the passenger's seat

"Yeah well, we don't chat. We work. Maybe you should try that for once," Steve spat.

The Soc just laughed and gave a sign for the driver to go.

"See ya soon, greaseball. Better watch your back."

"What was that about, Soda?"

Steve put a hand on his friend's shoulder but didn't take his eyes off the car. He guessed it had something to do with the trail and sighed.

"They threatened Pony and Johnny," Soda said, his eyes also on the car. "Steve - I don't want them to testify. We'll just forget the whole thing and get on with our lives."

Steve looked at Soda, a little surprised. Had the Socs really come out in bright daylight and threatened the boys? Okay, when he thought about it, it was nothing new for Socs to do stupid things.

"I get it, man. I get it. But… do you really want him to get away with this? With what he did to Pony?" Steve couldn't stand the thought of that bastard attacking someone from their gang like that and not pay for it. "Maybe you should talk to 'em… See what they wanna do. Also - what about the cat? This is the second time they send a message."

**o0o0o**

Taking Steve's advice, Soda sat down with Pony and Johnny later that day and told them about the threats.

They both looked shocked (Johnny terrified, in fact), but after a moment Pony got a determined look on his face.

"I don't care. I'm gonna do it. I want them to... They need to know they can't just get away with everything. Besides, they won't stop terrorizing greasers anyways, will they?"

Soda looked at him, worried, but also a bit proud of his little brother's courage.

"Does Darry know about this?" Pony asked. He thought that maybe Darry simply wouldn't allow it if he knew about the threats.

Soda nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, he knows."

"And what does he say?"

"Pretty much the same as you..." said Soda reluctantly, scratching his neck.

Pony let out a short laugh. It was extremely rare that he agreed with Darry instead of Soda about something.

"Johnny," he asked, turning to his friend. "What about you?"

Johnny fumbled with a hole on the knee of his jeans. With that look of fear on his face, he mostly looked like an animal trying to find a way out of a trap.

"I...um…" he started.

The Socs had killed a cat and nailed it to the door. And they had driven up to Soda and said stuff to him about Pony. What would the next thing be? As he thought more and more about it, he started shaking.

"Hey, hey," said Soda and wrapped his arms around him. He didn't need to worry about Pony getting suspicious, because Soda was always caring in a physical way.

"Calm down, okay? We won't let anything happen to you guys," he said, rubbing calming circles on Johnny's back. "Don't testify if you're scared. And maybe you could talk Pony into not doing it, too," he said, sending Ponyboy a look. "Pony... why can't we just let it go? Revenge isn't that important. It's a never-ending spiral. It just leads to new acts of revenge."

Ponyboy shook his head. "I don't care. We can't let them get away with everything. It ain't fair."

Johnny rested his head against Sodapop's shoulder. Pony was right in a way and Johnny knew it. And he couldn't just let him stand alone.

"I don't want to," he said. "But I think I need to..."

**o0o0o**

The next morning Two-Bit and Steve came to pick up Ponyboy for his first day back in school. Pony dreaded having to be escorted from class to class. It was going to be so embarrassing. But he was also looking forward to going back to classes, and it was either bodyguards or no school.

"So you're staying with Johnny?" he asked Sodapop.

"Yeah. I got the night shift, so we'll just be here."

"Well, see ya later," said Ponyboy and closed the door behind him.

**o0o0o**

"Man, I'm gonna be a tuff bodyguard," said Two-Bit as they entered the school.

He turned every now and then and acted like he had gun somewhere hidden on him.

"Move along," he said as a few students walked by. "Nothing to see here."

Pony ducked his head and wished he was somewhere else. _Anywhere_ else. He felt the urge to cover his head with his jacket or something, like he'd seen people on TV who was being arrested or escorted to court do it. But if course it wouldn't do any good - everybody knew it was him.

**o0o0o**

Johnny walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water. He had been thinking a lot about whether or not to go to trial. He had even talked to Pony about it but Pony had made his mind up about going, so whatever Johnny did, there was gonna be a trail.

Soda moved up behind Johnny. "You ok?" He asked and slipped his arms around his waist, pulling him close.

Johnny nodded stiffly.

"We got the whole house to ourselves," Soda whispered into his ear.

Johnny gulped and put the glass down on the counter in front of him. He leaned a little back against Soda and nodded again. Yes - They _did_ have the whole house to themselves. A chill went through him as Soda whispered into his ear. His voice was calm and gentle but something else too.

Soda placed his lips on Johnny's neck and began kissing it slowly, teasing with his tongue. He felt Johnny shiver and lean back into him. He continued gently sucking on his neck, slowly moving from the back to the front. Then he moved up to the ear, jaw, chin, until he reached his mouth.

Johnny felt his legs get weak and let out a gasp, giving Soda easy access to his mouth. He was surprised how carefree Soda was. He didn't seem nervous at all about standing in the kitchen and kissing him. He was acting like it was a perfectly normal thing to do.

Feeling how Johnny's knees threatened to give way, Soda turned him around, caught him by the back of his thighs and heaved him up to sit on the counter. He moved in close so their upper bodies were flush against each other. He caught his mouth again, letting his tongue slip past lips and teeth.

One hand having an unsure grip of Soda's shirt, Johnny placed his other hand on the counter to support himself and tried to kiss back. He leaned his head to the side to get a better angle and let Soda guide him by moving his tongue around.

Soda's hands slid up Johnny's thighs to his bottom. He felt Johnny give a slight jump when he gave it a squeeze, but he settled again immediately so Soda didn't stop. Instead he used his grip to pull Johnny against him and felt that he was just as hard as he was.

Johnny gasped and grabbed the edge of the counter. His breathing was getting unsteady and he broke the kiss to catch his breath. He opened his eyes slightly and looked at Soda. He still felt kind of embarrassed by the small sounds that escaped him now and then, but he couldn't deny how good this felt.

"Tell me to stop anytime you want," Soda said, looking back into Johnny's eyes.

Johnny gavehim a small nod.

"I feel… I feel strange..." he whispered, leaning a bit back. His body felt like it was burning on the inside and he took in a deep breath.

"Does that mean stop?" asked Soda, praying that it didn't.

"N-no."

Johnny didn't want it to stop at all.

Soda immediately dove in for another kiss. He started moving his lower body against Johnny's in a slow rhythm, desperate for some friction. He had done this plenty of times with girls, but it was a little strange feeling another person's erection against his. But really good.

"You can touch me," he said. "Anywhere you want."

It sounded more like a plea than just information.

Johnny blushed at the words. Unsure of what he should do, afraid of making mistakes and making Soda upset, he carefully placed his shaking hands on Soda's shoulders and at a slow pace he let them move down Soda's side, stopping at his lower back.

"C'mon, hold on," Soda said, asking Johnny to wrap his legs around his waist. Then he lifted him up and carried him towards the couch. Soda wasn't particularly big or strong - actually he probably had the slightest build of the brothers (considering Ponyboy's age) - but Johnny was so small and light that it was easy carrying him like this. Soda put him on the couch and lay down half on top of him. He went back to kissing his neck and moving slowly against him.

Johnny leaned his head to the side to give Soda better room. Using his legs, he pushed himself up against him, making every movement Soda made more feelable. He let out a gasp and so did Soda, so Johnny was kind of pleased with himself for doing something right.

Johnny pushing himself back against him made Soda's hips snap forward automatically and he moaned into his neck, "God, Johnny, you feel so good."

He started kissing him more aggressively and thrust harder against him. There was heat pooling in his abdomen and he knew he was close. Pretty impressive with pants on and everything, he thought.

"Johnny!" Soda gasped into Johnny's neck as he came with a shutter, trying not to be too loud so he didn't scare him.

Johnny had taken a gentle hold of Soda's hair as Soda began moving faster. He wasn't sure what was going on as Soda shuttered against him all of a sudden.

"Are…" he said. "Are you… okay?"

He was worried about Soda all of the sudden. Had he hurt him or something?

"God, yes. That was amazing!"

Honestly, did the kid not understand what had just happened? He must have tried it himself. He was a sixteen-year-old boy after all.

"You made me come," he decided to explain. "Like when you touch yourself. Don't tell you've never done that," he added.

"Uhm..." Johnny blushed and bit his lip. "No… not so much."

He had tried a few times but had never really "finished" it. Mostly because it made him feel ashamed. His mother had always told him that boys who touched themselves were filthy and bad. And Johnny didn't want to be a bad boy. He desperately wanted to be good and make his parents care about him. A few times he had woken up from a wet dream with sticky underwear. He had nearly died from shame and washed his briefs in the sink so his mother wouldn't find out.

"N-never really thought about it..." he lied. He wasn't sure Soda would understand. He bet _his_ mother had never told him and his brothers that it was a filthy thing to do. "I'm sorry if I'm weird, Soda..."

Soda smiled. "Don't apologize. You're not weird. You're just a late bloomer, that's all."

He smiled again. If Johnny honestly hadn't tried it he was in for a treat. He decided to test the waters. He rolled down, lying next to Johnny and moved his hand down his stomach to his zipper. He stopped for a moment before pulling it down.

"Can I?" he asked.

Johnny looked almost terrified. Honestly he was scared to death but Soda had done nothing to hurt him so far, and he was sure he never would.

"O-okay..." he stuttered, trying to gain control of his now shaking voice and tense body.

"I won't look, if you're embarrassed," said Sodapop and dipped his head to gently kiss Johnny's neck so he couldn't see either his face or what his own hand was doing.

He slowly pulled down the zipper and slipped a hand inside. He started stroking Johnny carefully through the fabric of his underpants, thinking that would be a little less overwhelming than if he went inside those as well.

Johnny let out a surprised gasp and tilted his head a bit back and then to the side as Soda started to stroke him. He felt him suck gently at his neck and a soft moan escaped his lips. Embarrassed, he quickly covered his mouth with a hand.

"Don't be shy. I like hearing you," Soda said in a husky voice.

Johnny moved his hand away a little but as Soda moved his hand again, Johnny bit down on a few of his own fingers to prevent himself from making more sounds. Every stroke made his breath hitch. He had never felt this kind of touch. The couple of times he had tried, it hadn't felt like this. He had just felt ashamed and stopped as quickly as he started.

"Just relax," said Soda and moved his hand a bit faster. "And try to enjoy. How does it feel?"

"I-it feels… g-good," Johnny stuttered back.

Johnny seemed to get a bit lost in the sensation, so Soda risked going a little further, slipping his hands inside Johnny's briefs and closed it around his shaft.

"S-Soda," Johnny gasped and took a hold of Soda's shoulder, feeling his body starting to twitch and shake. In a way he wanted Soda to stop but in another he didn't.

Soda kept going, kissing Johnny's neck and stroking him, and although Johnny tried to hold back he failed and reached climax, his body giving a few twitches

Soda couldn't help chuckling inside in triumph. He hadn't been sure he could actually make Johnny let himself go enough to have an orgasm. He withdrew his hand, quickly wiped it off and zipped Johnny back up. Then he pulled him close and said in a soft voice, "That was good, wasn't it?" He planted a kiss on his mouth. "You were really awesome," he added, suspecting that the other boy would be very insecure and embarrassed about himself right now.

Johnny sent him a shy smile and buried his head against his neck. He felt really tired all of a sudden, not sure he could get up even if his life depended on it.

"Soda...?" he asked in a sleepy voice.

"Mmh?"

"Is... is this..." he gulped. "Is this even okay? I mean..." He hesitated for a moment. "I... I understand if you…" He couldn't even bring himself to say it. To be honest he wasn't sure if Soda wanted more than what they had been doing the last couple of days. It really wasn't normal for two guys to do this. He knew that much. In fact he thought he had heard some guys from Shepard's gang talk about it once and how weird it was. How sick it was. But laying here with Soda it just didn't _feel_ sick.

"If I what?"

"If you don't... If you don't wanna do more after this. I mean... I know... I hear stuff when... when the others talk about... when they've been with someone..." He closed his eyes and waited for the response. He could take it. He was sure he could. Or maybe he couldn't.

Soda grinned. "Oh, you mean like Two-Bit who goes from one girl to the next? You know I ain't like that. I've only had a couple of girlfriends, and I've stuck with them for a while." Suddenly remembering Sandy he stopped smiling. It still hurt a little. Not because he was still in love with her, but because she had hurt him so badly. He had loved and trusted her and she had betrayed him.

Johnny looked up at him and his eyes turned sad as he looked at Soda.

"I'm sorry if I made you think about her," he said slowly "I don't use my head... sometimes."

"It's okay," Soda smiled. "I got you now, don't I?

Johnny gave him a small smile.

"Yeah... Yeah you got me."

"And it doesn't matter that you ain't a girl, Johnnycake. That don't mean nuffin' - if that's what's worrying ya..."

Soda made himself comfortable, pulling Johnny's head to his chest, and drifted off to sleep within minutes.

It didn't take long for Johnny to fall asleep as well. He woke up a few hours later, his head still on Soda's chest. He felt a bit sore on the arm and leg that Sodapop had been lying on. He sat up, careful not to wake up Soda, and got up from the couch. He really needed some fresh air so he made his way to the front door, unlocked it and went outside.

There was a slight breeze and Johnny enjoyed the cold air against his face. He had felt a bit hot so this was rather refreshing. Closing his eyes he took in a deep breath and for once, nothing really seemed to matter.

* * *

**Link to the illustration for this chapter on my profile (or check Zayhad's account on deviantart).**


	11. He Was Cool, Wasn't He?

**Chapter 11 – "He Was Cool, Wasn't He?****"**

When Sodapop woke Johnny was gone. His immediate reaction was to panic. He checked all the rooms, calling out his name. Not finding him, Soda got even more scared. God, he'd managed to scare him away and now he was out wandering the street, an easy target for the Socs. Images of Johnny being grabbed and forced into a car or being pulled into an alley went through Soda's head.

Soda burst out the front door, ready to run down the street but stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted Johnny sitting on the porch, smoking a cigarette.

"Jesus, Johnny, you scared the hell out of me! I thought you'd left!"

Johnny looked up rather startled and dropped his cigarette. Soda looked as angry as Soda probably could and it made Johnny feel bad about even opening the door.

"I - I'm sorry, Soda," he said. "I just... needed some air."

Soda slumped down next to Johnny on the step and drew a heavy sigh of relief.

"Don't be," he said. "It's okay. I'm just really on edge right now because of all this." He slung an arm around Johnny's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "I'm just so worried about the two of you. That's all."

Johnny leaned in against Soda with a soft smile on his lips. He was nervous as well but having Soda around made him feel a lot better.

**o0o0o**

Andy cursed in frustration when he spotted Soda coming out the door and sitting down next to Johnny.

"You think we should still go ahead with the plan?" he asked his two friends also sitting in his Pontiac.

"No," said one of them. "That blond guy is a pretty good fighter even though he ain't big. I've seen him beat up Travis once."

"But we're three. We can take them on," said the other one. "And the brat couldn't beat up my five year old niece."

"It'll make too much of a ruckus. I say we wait until he's alone. Or with the other brat."

**o0o0o**

Two-Bit picked up Ponyboy from his last class, a large grin on his face.

"So, your highness - ready to go home to your castle?"

"Quit it, Two-Bit, won't ya? Everyone's laughing at me..."

"What for? I'm a tuff bodyguard," Two-Bit said with a laugh and dragged Pony with him. "I gotta help my mom – again – as soon as I drop you off. What _you_ gonna do for the rest of the day?"

"Go with Soda and Steve to the DX, I guess," Ponyboy moped.

He was tired of going there, to be honest, and he was sure the owner didn't approve of them being there all the time, and only put up with it because Soda was good for business.

"Did you talk to Dally? Is he still mad?" Ponyboy asked.

Even though he was kind of scared of Dallas, Ponyboy hoped that maybe if he had cooled off he would take him and Johnny to the movies. He was sure they'd be allowed. Next after Darry, Dallas had to be the safest person to be with. No one in their right mind would try anything with Dallas around. He had a reputation for being crazy and dangerous. A justified reputation.

"Nah, man... I ain't seen or talked to the guy," Two-Bit said, scratching his head. "Look, maybe you guys can stay home if ya lock the door. Then at least ya don't gotta work," he laughed.

Pony let out a snort. "No way Soda's gonna let us. He's turned into a total control-freak lately."

**o0o0o**

To Pony's surprise Darry was home. There was also a man he had never seen before. A well-dressed, official looking man. Sodapop and Johnny were sitting next to him; Johnny almost looked like he was trying to hide behind Soda, glancing very suspiciously at the stranger.

The man stood up when they came in. "You must be Ponyboy," he smiled and shook Pony's hand. "And... Keith Matthews?" he asked Two-Bit.

Two-Bit said it was really Two-Bit.

"My name is James Halloway. I'm the public prosecutor," he said, turning his attention back to Pony. "I'll be your attorney in the case against Andy Smith."

He seemed nice and his smile genuine, but he looked rather young for a lawyer, Ponyboy thought. He probably just popped out of law school. Not surprising that the State put a novice on their case...

They sat back down and Halloway explained about the procedures and asked Ponyboy a lot of questions. Two-Bit was given a quick interview first, since he had to get home to help his mother.

"I'm not going to pretend this is going to be an open-and-shut case," he sighed. "It's no secret that... people like you are prejudiced against and that most judges and jurors take the upper class' side. Mr. Smith will also have a very good and expensive attorney, I'm sure."

Sodapop sighed. He wasn't surprised at all. There was really no point in the boys witnessing - they would put themselves in danger for nothing.

"I admit that I'm rather inexperienced," said Mr. Halloway. "However," he added, "I think you are in luck anyway, because I happen to sympathize with the working class. I believe justice is for all, and I don't like the way the upper class tends to get off too easy."

Ponyboy started getting his hopes up. He liked Mr. Halloway more and more by the minute.

On Darry's orders, Soda left for the DX, taking Pony and Johnny with him. The lawyer wanted to have a few words with Darry on their own.

"Your brother will make an excellent witness," Mr. Halloway told Darry once they were alone. "He's smart and polite, gives the impression of honesty. Not the typical hood. And in a nice set of clothes and the grease out of his hair I think he will be very credible."

Darry gave Mr. Halloway an inch of a smile. Yes, Pony was very polite. He had always been like that, now that Darry thought about it.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. I'm just worried about them. My brother is smart, yes, but I don't know if he can defend himself against an attack. And I don't mean a fight - I mean an attorney shooting questions at him. And Johnny is even more fragile."

Darry was silent for a moment, deep in thought.

"Do you think they have a chance? To win, I mean."

"That's impossible to say. It depends on a lot," said Mr. Halloway. "Keith Matthews… I don't think it's a good idea to put him on the stand. Criminals don't hold any credibility in most jurors' eyes. And about Johnny... From my impression of him I'm very much doubting that he will be able to take cross examination. He looks like a nervous wreck. Also - if he is to testify we will need to get permission from his parents. Is that possible?"

Darry shook his head.

"Johnny has a hard family life. He pretty much stays here most of the time. And I think if we were to ask them, it would not be the best outcome. You know I ain't lying when I say I don't like this one bit… We've gotten a few threats also."

Mr. Halloway gave him a curious look.

"They killed a cat and nailed it to the door of our house… Also a few So - I mean upper class kids told my brother, Sodapop, that it would be a shame if anything were to happen to Johnny and Ponyboy."

Mr. Halloway sighed. "Well, the decision is yours. All depends on your brother's testimony. If he doesn't testify there is no trial. And even if he does, there is no guarantee of anything. But like I said - he will make a strong witness. I understand if you won't let him, of course, with the threats. To be honest, I'm not sure I would let _my_ little brother do it, if there had been threats like that. Have you told the police?"

Darry couldn't help but chuckle at the question.

"No, I haven't. We never talk to the police 'cause they don't really care for the likes of us. We called them once and all that happened was that we got more trouble."

Darry was really split by the whole thing.

"I'll have to ask Pony again. We have to have a long talk the three of us. Me, him and Soda.

**o0o0o**

"I think we can win this!" said Ponyboy excitedly as they walked in the direction of the gas station. "He was cool, wasn't he?"

Sodapop just looked straight ahead, not answering. Johnny looked nervously from Pony to Soda.

"Wasn't he?" Pony persisted. "Soda?"

"It don't matter. It don't matter whether we win or not. If we take 'em to court they'll want revenge either way."

Pony was annoyed. Why couldn't Soda be a little more supportive? They had a real chance of teaching the Socs a lesson and Soda was against it. Normally he always took Pony's side. All the others - even Darry - supported him in his decision. Why couldn't Soda just...

**o0o0o**

Ponyboy voiced his frustrations to Johnny once they were alone in the back room later. "Why can't he just back me up? Why does he have to be like this, all of a sudden?"

Johnny sat down and looked over at him.

"He's scared for you, Pony," Johnny said. "That's what he told me... He just doesn't want ya to get hurt..."

Ponyboy seemed so angry and Johnny wasn't sure what to say. He and Soda had a secret relationship and he didn't want to sound like he backed Soda up too much.

* * *

**Link to the illustration for this chapter on my profile (or check Zayhad's account on deviantart).**


	12. SIT DOWN, SODA!

**Chapter 12 – "SIT DOWN, SODA!"**

Darry was waiting in the kitchen when they came home around eleven. He told Johnny and Ponyboy to go straight to bed. Ponyboy didn't object; he was exhausted after all day at school and all evening at the DX.

Sodapop sat down at the kitchen table, knowing that this was it - Darry wanted to make a decision. Soda only hoped he made the right one...

"Soda," Darry started. "I know this trail thing is giving you a hard time. It's giving all of us..." He looked at his brother who seemed to tense up. "And even though I hate to do this I think we have to go through with it. It's not about revenge. It's about justice."

Darry knew how stupid that sounded but in the end they had to prove in some way that the Socs couldn't just do as they pleased.

"What's the difference? I don't care if you call it revenge or justice. It ain't worth it if one of them gets seriously hurt!"

Darry rubbed his temples.

"Soda... When will they ever learn to let anyone alone? They jumped Johnny for the reason of him bumping into a guy, and they beat him half unconscious. And then they attacked Pony - just because he was his friend. So – try and convince me they'll leave us alone even if we don't go to trial!"

"That Andy guy might be relieved and leave it at that. Either way they won't be as mean and angry as if they have something to avenge. Darry - tell Pony no!"

Soda was getting upset now. Darry was the one who really ought to take responsibility. He was the one who had custody. He _had_ to look to Pony's best interest.

"Soda... I'm really trying here. But no matter what I do, something's gonna happened."

"So you're just gonna let him do it?" asked Soda incredulously and jumped to his feet. "You can't DO that!" He was yelling now, feeling desperate and angry. "He's MY brother too, and _I_ say he ain't allowed!"

"SIT DOWN, SODA!"

Darry was yelling now as well. He just wanted to protect his family, but no matter what he did someone would get mad at him. If he said no to Pony, he would get upset and probably do something stupid. And saying no to Soda had the same outcome.

"Do you think I find this easy? DO ya?"

"Then make the right decision! It ain't that hard!" Soda shouted, hammering his fist down in the table. And no way was he going to sit down! Darry didn't have the right to order him around. He was nearly seventeen.

Darry stood up from his seat and leaned in over the table. The look he had on his face would have scared just about anyone other than Sodapop.

"I'M TRYING TO!"

**o0o0o**

Johnny sat on the bed in Sodapop's room with hands covering his ears, but unable to completely block out the yelling.

_This is all my fault,_ he thought. Soda and Darry never yelled at each other. At least he had never heard it, and hearing it now made him feel horrible. He bet Pony did as well. No way in hell he didn't hear this.

Ponyboy slipped through the door into Sodapop's room where Johnny was sitting.

"Hey, Johnny..." he said in a low voice when Johnny dropped his hands.

He sat down on the bed next to him, feeling miserable, angry and guilty at the same time.

"Why is it that when finally Darry and me agree on something Soda has to go and fly off the handle like that? Why can't they just..." he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill. "I wish Mom and Dad were here..."

Johnny nodded. "I wish… I wish they were too... "

He tried not to cry and jumped up.

"I can't stay here. I... I'm messing up this family... and I don't wanna do that! This is all my fault. I shoulda just kept my mouth shut! I shoulda just died!"

"Johnny, STOP," Ponyboy called after Johnny as he rushed out the door.

Both Darry and Sodapop turned their heads in surprise to see Johnny coming storming out from Soda's room, heading for the front door. Soda reacted fast and caught him before he reached it.

Johnny struggled to get free from his grip, but Soda held on.

"Where do ya think you're going?"

Johnny kept struggling to get free of Soda's grip.

"I don't wanna be here no more! I ain't nothin' but trouble and now you guys are fighting because of a stupid trial _I _caused! I just want him to kill me already so you all don't have to worry no more!"

"Johnny, no!" exclaimed Soda, horrified. He had both arms around Johnny, hugging him tight to his chest to keep him from wrenching himself free. "It ain't like that at all! It ain't nobody's fault but that damned Soc!"

Pony had stopped and was standing passively, staring at Johnny and Soda and looking completely lost. Sodapop wanted to hold him too, but he couldn't let go of Johnny. He cursed Darry's inability to show affection and just stand there and watch his upset baby brother.

Johnny kept struggling for a little while but eventually exhausted himself and stopped.

Darry looked at Soda and Johnny and then at Pony. He wanted to do something but he just didn't know what. He placed a hand on Pony's shoulder and gave it a little shake.

"Hey... Hey, it's okay..."

It was all he could come up with.

Scared that Johnny was going to try to pull free again, Soda hesitantly let go of him with one hand and motioned Pony over with it. Then he pulled them both close.

"It's okay. We ain't gonna fight no more. You go ahead and witness if that's what you want. I ain't mad no more."

Pony buried his face in the crook of Sodapop's neck, still a little upset, but relieved to "get his brother back".

Darry stood for a moment and then decided to go into the kitchen. He really hated it when people were upset, and now there were two of them. It made him feel so helpless.

Sodapop sat down on the couch with both boys clinging to him. They sat there for a while till they had both calmed down. Pony had nearly fallen asleep against him.

"We're gonna get you to bed, okay?" Soda said to Pony. Then to Johnny, "Could you go wait in my room? I'll come talk to you in a minute once I've taken care of Pony. And promise me you ain't gonna run away, okay?"

Johnny nodded and headed for Soda's room, his head hung low.

Soda pulled the shoes off his half sleeping brother and tugged the blankets around him. He was still just a kid, Soda thought. He had to remind himself every once in a while. A kid who needed the care of his parents. Soda wasn't sure he was able to fill that role, however much he tried.

"You just sleep, okay?" he said, kissing the top of Ponyboy's head. "Will you be alright if I go talk to Johnny? I'll be back soon."

Pony murmured something that Soda interpreted as a yes.

**o0o0o**

Johnny sat on the bed with his back to the door, staring down on the hands in his lap.

He had promised Soda not to run and he wasn't going to, but he still had a huge knot in his stomach. His head kept telling him that everything was his fault. Ponyboy had been beaten up badly. Sodapop and Darry were at each other's throats. Dally had once or twice before gotten thrown in jail because of Johnny - three times, counting this one.

He registered Soda coming in and quietly sitting down next to him, but he didn't look up. A few tears were dripping down onto his hands, but he didn't make a sound and his eyes where hidden behind the black bangs.

Sodapop pulled him in close. "Please don't cry, Johnnycake. I told you it ain't your fault any of this. We're standing up for you because we love you. You gotta let us do that."

"But… you're fighting. You and Darry never yell at each other. You always just take it cool, Soda."

"I know. But I'm just human, you know. I love you and Pony, and I just got so scared when they pulled up at the DX and threatened me about you. We won't fight no more, though. And we weren't fighting about _you_ either - we were fighting about Pony and Darry's decision about him.

"I know you were, but... I mean, it's my fault he got jumped. That Soc jumped him 'cause he could tell I told Pony."

"Pony would have known anyway. He's pretty smart, ya know. Just... please stop blaming yourself. It's killing me."

Johnny didn't say anything. Soda was right. Ponyboy was smart, and he and Johnny always knew if something was up with the other. He would have known no matter what.

"And please don't talk about dying no more. I can't stand it," continued Sodapop. "Pony as well."

"I'm sorry," Johnny sobbed and took a hold of Sodapop's shirt.

He knew that Ponyboy couldn't stand when he talked like that. He was just so out of it.

"I'm sorry," he cried and held on to the fabric like it was his string to life and letting go would kill him.

You're exhausted," said Soda, stroking Johnny's hair. "Lay down, okay? I'll stay till you sleep."

He gently pushed Johnny down on the bed and lay down beside him, drawing the blankets up around them. Johnny cuddled up to Soda, still having a tight grasp of his shirt. He was so tired. Like he had been running a marathon or something.

"I'm sorry..." he kept mumbling as he closed his eyes.

**o0o0o**

Soda woke with a start. He hadn't meant to fall asleep - he had promised Pony to be right back!

Darry looked up from his newspaper when Soda came out of the room and Soda suddenly felt the need to explain himself.

"I... fell asleep. He needed... he was real upset and I promised to stay till he was asleep. Did you check on Pony?" he added.

Darry looked at him, a little puzzled, but then went back to reading his newspaper.

"Yeah, he's sleeping."

Then put the newspaper down.

"Look Soda... I know this is all just a bunch of shit right now, and I just wanna do what I can to make it better. But it just -"

"I don't wanna fight about it no more," Soda cut him off. "You guys do what you want. I'm clearly in the minority here."

"Look, Pepsi Cola... It ain't that I _wanna_ do this. I just think it's the right thing to do."

Darry didn't want Sodapop to feel like no one cared about what he thought. He just didn't know how to explain that.

"Yeah, fine," said Soda and left for Ponyboy's room.

* * *

**Link to the illustration for this chapter on my profile (or check Zayhad's account on deviantart).**


	13. Can't Wait to Get those Clothes off You

**Chapter 13 –**** "Can't Wait to Get those Clothes off You."**

Two-Bit swung the door open as he entered the house.

"Alright, sleepyheads! Time to get up! Get your clothes on. If you're naked I don't wanna know. If ya got a lady I wanna join!"

Darry popped his head out from the kitchen.

"Ain't no one got a girl here, Two-Bit. Two boys don't think about girls and the last one does but ain't got one."

Johnny and Pony were already in the kitchen, eating breakfast. Pony couldn't help laughing at Two-Bit. It was nice with a little silliness after that awfully serious day before.

Hearing the ruckus, Soda emerged from the bathroom with wet hair and nothing but a towel around his waist. He noticed Johnny starting at him for a second and then averting his eyes, staring just as intensely into his bowl of cereal.

Two-Bit dropped down next to the two.

"Woah, Johnny! What's with the red ears?"

"N-no," Johnny gulped. "I mean - they ain't."

He kept his head down, feeling his cheeks burn up. Seeing how fit Soda was, and then thinking of his own skinny looking wreck of a body he suddenly felt ashamed. How could Sodapop possibly think Johnny was anything special? Feeling really insecure he started to eat again, but his hands were shaking so badly the food kept dropping off his spoon.

"You sure you're okay?" Darry asked and Johnny nodded.

"Hey, Soda," said Two-Bit. "Nice clothes. You gonna wear that to work? Cause I think the girls would love it."

"You're just jealous," said Sodapop and stuck his tongue out at Two-Bit.

"Naw... I got my own good looks," Two-Bit laughed.

"Yes, you're smoking hot, Two-Bit," said Sodapop. "I wish I were a girl. I'd be all over you."

He chuckled on the inside at the unmistakable sound of Johnny choking on his cereal.

"Oh yeah, Soda, we should totally hook up. You could be my broad for a day," Two-Bit laughed. "I don't do kissing, though."

"Suits me. I'm pretty critical of where I stick my tongue, anyway," said Soda and ran out the kitchen before Two-Bit got the chance to smack him.

Ponyboy was studying Johnny curiously. He thought he was a little strange this morning. Why had he become all flustered when Soda came in? Was it because he had yelled at Darry last night? Had it scared him? No. No one could become scared of Soda. At least not a greaser. Ponyboy didn't ask Johnny about it, though. He looked uncomfortable enough already, and if he wanted to talk with Pony about it he'd do it once they were alone. Or as alone as they could get these days...

Johnny looked over at Ponyboy and tried to smile. He must have noticed how he acted. Pony always noticed when something was odd. He hated that he had to lie to him. Well, not lie, exactly, but keep a secret like that from him.

Darry got up and got his stuff.

"Soda, when do you gotta be at work?"

"Now," said Soda and pulled on his jeans. "We gotta go, Johnny," he continued, buttoning his shirt. "Two-Bit – you look after Pony properly, ya hear me?"

He sounded dead serious, none of the joking tone from before.

"I'll watch him like a Soc watches a dollar bill," said the rusty haired greaser and crossed his heart. "Let's go, your highness."

"I ain't kiddin', Matthews," said Soda as he left with Johnny.

**o0o0o**

"What's wrong, Johnnycake?" Sodapop asked as they walked down the street. "You okay? You ain't still brooding over last night, are ya? I thought we sorted it out..."

"Naw... naw, that ain't it..." he said and looked down. "I'm just worried."

He was worried that Soda might have noticed how he had stared at him when he came out from the shower. He really hoped that he hadn't

"Is it the stuff I said to Two-Bit? You ain't jealous, are ya?"

"W-what? Jealous? Why... why should I be that?"

**o0o0o**

Johnny was wiping off one of the gas tanks when a car drove in at the DX. A girl around his age got out and swung her hair back over her shoulder.

"A little service would be nice."

"I...I don't work here... I'm just..."

Before Johnny could say anything else, Sodapop came out from the store and sent the costumer a smile.

"Fill it up, handsome," she giggled.

As Soda worked, she gave him the elevator look and Johnny noticed.

"Sooo... When do you get off? 'Cause maybe we could go see a movie or something?" She smiled at Soda and leaned up against her car.

She sure was pretty, Johnny thought. Then he looked down himself. His skinny legs and arms. His chest just as skinny as the rest. He looked like a skeleton with clothes on and compared to her he was nothing.

As she kept hitting on Soda, Johnny crept into the back of the DX. He didn't want to look at or listen to her.

**o0o0o**

Soda had noticed how Johnny had slinked away when the girl asked him on a date. Now that he thought about it it made sense if Johnny didn't like watching the girls flirt with him. Soda had never thought twice about it - he was so used to it.

"Scott, can I take my lunch break now?" he asked the owner, who was also at work that day.

"Sure," he said, without looking up from the register.

"Where's Johnny?"

"Don't know. The kid's like a ghost. You don't really notice him."

Soda went to the back room where he thought Johnny might be. And sure enough - there he was, sitting on a chair at the table, looking gloomy. Soda sat down opposite him.

"Tell me what's upsetting you," he said in a kind voice. "Don't say 'nothing'. I ain't blind. Just tell me. I won't laugh or get mad or anything."

Johnny started to chew on the already chewed up nails on his left hand and considered whether or not to tell Soda what was wrong.

"Just… I can understand why you would like a girl like that," he started. "I mean… she was very pretty."

Soda chuckled, then straightened his face. He had promised not to laugh. "Is that all?" he smiled and reached over to take Johnny's hand. "I ain't interested in some random girl. I don't care how pretty she is. That ain't what matters. You don't have nothing to worry about. Why are you so insecure, anyway?"

Johnny kept his head down and shrugged. He wasn't keen on telling Soda exactly what was plaguing him. He was afraid to sound pathetic and whining, and a – probably irrational – part of him was scared that if he pointed out to Soda just how beautiful he was and how he could do so much better than Johnny, Soda would realize he was right and lose interest in him.

"I... I guess I just don't like myself very much..." he finally said.

"Well, _I _do," Soda smiled and started drawing circles with his thumb on the back of Johnny's hand. "I like you a whole lot."

Sodapop didn't know how he was ever going to convince Johnny he was worth something. He had probably been told he was no good so many times that he couldn't stop believing it.

Soda brought Johnny's hand up to his mouth and kissed his palm. "Why do you think you ain't good enough for me?"

Johnny took in a deep breath. He liked Soda _so_ much but he just couldn't believe that this was real. Maybe for now, but Soda would get tired of him soon enough. Johnny was pretty sure of that.

"I... I can't do anything right. And I ain't good looking like you. Or that girl before… I'm just small and skinny. And... and…"

He bit his lip nervously. He and Soda had become close. Very close. But what if they got even closer? The way Dally talked about being _close_ to a girl? Johnny had multiple scars on his body and Soda would surely find those unattractive.

"I like you skinny and small. If I wanted some big guy I'd go hit on Steve," said Soda and shuttered at the thought. Oh, God, why did he have to go and get that image into his head?

He brought his hand up and cupped Johnny's chin, tipping his face up so he could get eye contact.

"You're real cute, Johnnycake. You got real pretty eyes, and I like how your hair flops into your face."

Johnny stared back at him with huge eyes.

"Pretty lips too," Soda continued and leaned forwards to plant a soft kiss on Johnny's lips.

Johnny reached up a hand to place it on Soda's and kissed back

Oh, how he wished they could just be somewhere away from all this. Away from the Socs. Away from Tulsa where they could relax and not worry. He really wished he could just relax.

"I... I really like you too, Soda," he whispered when their lips parted.

"So you believe me?"

I… I'll try..."

Sodapop got up from his chair and pushed a box of candy in front of the door. That would give them a warning if Scott decided to come in. Soda sat back down and patted his lap.

"Come 'ere," he said.

Johnny got up and moved around the table and Soda pulled him down to sit on his lap.

A bit startled, Johnny placed his hands on Soda's shoulders. He looked him shyly in the eyes as he sat there. _Now what?_ he thought as Soda smiled mischievously at him.

Soda had an arm around Johnny' waist and snaked the other one up under his shirt, letting it run over the warm skin.

"I like your body," he said. Then he leaned close to Johnny's ear and whispered, "and I can't wait to get those clothes off you."

Johnny blushed and let out a gasp as he felt Soda's hand creep further up his back under the shirt. He wasn't sure what to say back so he just tilted his head a bit to the side.

Soda gave Johnny's ear a small nip and then slowly started kissing his way down the exposed neck.

Suddenly Johnny wished they were somewhere else. Somewhere completely alone where they could -

He stopped the thought as fast as it came to mind. What was _wrong _with him?

Soda slid his hand down Johnny's spine and past the hem of his pants, as far as it would go without unbuttoning them. He continued planting open-mouth kisses on his neck and let his tongue play on his skin.

Johnny felt like he was going crazy from every touch and he couldn't help little sounds escaping his mouth as Soda's hand kept roaming around under his shirt.

It suddenly occurred to him that he should probably do something to Soda as well, so he dipped his head and, a bit hesitantly at first, started to kiss the warm skin of Soda's neck.

"That feels really good, Johnny," Soda moaned as he felt Johnny' lips on his neck. "Here –move your leg over," he instructed and helped Johnny swing his leg so he was sitting astride him, face to face. He leaned his head back, exposing his throat in an invitation for the other boy to put his mouth back there.

Letting a hand slide up into Soda's hair, Johnny leaned in and let his lips and tongue caress his neck. He smiled a little to himself, knowing he was doing something right, as Soda hummed in content.

Soda splayed his hands on the smaller teen's bottom and pulled his lower half forward against him. He gasped at the close contact, and loosened his grip, only to pull Johnny back in, rolling his hips to meet him.

Johnny tilted his head a bit back and gasped as well when being pulled closer. _Oh God…_ he thought. _This is going too far... what is someone comes in?_

Soda moved his hips again, making Johnny let out another gasp.

They were both breathing heavily now and Soda caught Johnny's lips in a heated, sloppy kiss, moaning into his mouth. He had taken a strong grip on his hips now and kept rocking him back and forth, building up a steady rhythm.

Johnny tried to concentrate on returning the kiss but every move that Soda made, made him lose any sense of reality. He was feeling really hot, like he was having a fever. But he didn't feel sick. He just clung to Soda and tried to move with him the best he could.

"Sod-a," he gasped. "I-I…"

Soda felt himself getting close, but he didn't want to leave Johnny behind, so he tried holding himself back a little longer. He moved his mouth down to the most sensitive spot on the throat and moaned against it, "You're so sexy, Johnny... Let yourself go. I want you to come for me."

The words nearly made Johnny's mind black out. He leaned his head back and let out a gasp as Soda moved his hips a bit faster. It was like electricity running through his body at every thrust. His body started to twitch and he just managed to bite back a groan as orgasm suddenly hit him.

Sodapop caught Johnny's lips in a rough kiss and, having accomplished his task, he let go of himself and with a few violent bucks of his hips he too came hard, making sure to keep their mouths pressed together so his moans were muffled.

Johnny felt numb, his entire body like lead, as he sat slumped against Sodapop. After a minute he was able to move and sat up straight to look at Soda's face. He chuckled a little but also felt bad when he saw how messed up he had made Soda's hair.

"S-sorry about your hair..." he said softly.

Soda sent him a warm smile and Johnny leaned back in and just enjoyed the moment for now.

* * *

**Link to the illustration for this chapter on my profile (or check Zayhad's account on deviantart).**


End file.
